Chicago, an Unknown Perp, 1914

On November 6, 1914, 25-year-old Genevive Tatar died at Cook County Hospital (pictured) in Chicago from complications of an abortion performed by an unknown perpetrator. I've been unable to get any further information about Genevive's death.

Note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good.

In fact, due to improvements in addressing these problems, maternal mortality in general (and abortion mortality with it) fell dramatically in the 20th Century, decades before Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion across America.

For more information about early 20th Century abortion mortality, see Abortion Deaths 1910-1919.