On December 17, 1914, 24-year-old
Emma Fertig died at Chicago's
West Side Hospital from an abortion performed by an unknown perpetrator. She left behind three children.
Due to improvements in addressing overall medical care and public health issues, maternal
mortality in general (and abortion mortality with it) fell dramatically
in the 20th Century, decades before
Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion across America.
All without legalizing abortions.
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.
For more information about early 20th Century abortion mortality, see
Abortion Deaths 1910-1919.
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