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Friday, November 30, 2012

Three Chicago Docs' Fatal Work over Half a Century

On November 30, 1874, Mrs. Mary Dix died at her Chicago home from complications of a criminal abortion perpetrated there. Dr. W. F. Aiken was arrested and charged with murder. Mary's abortion was typical of illegal abortions in that it was performed by a physician.

On October 27, 1926, 34-year-old Sophie Peterson underwent an illegal abortion in the Chicago office of Dr. Frederick Springe.She was taken to Mercy Hospital, where she died on November 30.Springe was indicted for felony murder by a grand jury on December 15.

On November 30, 1927, 22-year-old homemaker Lucille van Iderstine died in the Chicago office of Dr. Emil Gleitsman, from an abortion that had been performed on her that day. Gleitsman was indicted for felony murder in Lucille's death on January 15, 1928. Gleitsman went on to be arrested for murder by abortion in the 1930 death of 22-year-old Jeanette Reder, but he was acquitted on June 15, 1931. Gleitsman was convicted three times on a single charge of manslaughter by abortion in 1934 (I'm assuming related to the death of 21-year-old Mary Colbert in 1933), but each time his lawyer got a reversal and eventually the prosecutors gave up.

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