Three Prolifically Deadly Physicians

On April 13, 1909, Stella Kelly, age 28, died in Chicago from an abortion. A Dr. Louise Achtenberg, misidentified as a midwife in the source document, was held by the coroner's jury but the source document doesn't indicate that there was a trial. Achtenberg was also implicated in the abortion deaths of Dora Swan, Florence Wright, Violet McCormick and Madelyn Anderson.

On April 30, 1917, Mrs. Ruth Lemaire, age 24, died at West Side Hospital in Chicago from complications of a criminal abortion. In her deathbed statement she implicated Dr. Lillian Hobbs (pictured). However, the coroner's jury did not place blame on Hobbs, and the case came to naught. Hobbs was also convicted of murder in the abortion deaths of Alda Christopherson and Ellen Matson.


On April 30, 1923, 29-year-old homemaker Emma Herod died in her home from an abortion performed there that day. Dr. Emma J. Warren was arrested for the death. On July 15, Warren was indicted for felony murder in Emma Herod's death. She's also previously been arrested for the abortion death of Annie DeGroote.

The thriving, deadly abortion practices of these three doctors offer an object lesson in how we can't count on criminalization alone to control seedy abortionists. The public also must actually care more about whether women live or die than whether they can locate a willing abortionist. As the Kermit Gosnell fiasco showed us, we can not count on prochoice bureaucrats, politicians, or activists to look out for women's well being. It will always fall on prolifers to stay vigilant and keep abortionists in check.