SUMMARY: Dora Swan, age 24, died on March 23, 1907 in Chicago after an abortion believed to have been perpetrated by Dr. Louise Achtenberg.
In March of 1907, Dora Swan, the 24-year-old wife of railroad worker W. H. Swan, was living with her mother, Mrs. Phillip de Bre, on Marshfield Avenue in Chicago. She had only been married to her husband for a couple of weeks.
Dora told police that on March 16, she had undergone an abortion at the hands of a woman whose name she had forgotten. Dora named the area near the intersection of Dearborn Street and 44th street. Louise Achtenberg, identified as a midwife in news coverage, was located at 4346 Dearborn.
Her family called the family physician, Dr. C. S. Friend to attend to Dora while she was ill. He had her admitted to Englewood Union Hospital in Chicago to be treated. Dora died from post-abortion infection on March 23.
Actenberg, whose profession is listed as doctor, midwife, or unlisted at the Homicide in Chicago Interactive Database, was held responsible by the coroner, but there is no record that charges were filed.
Achtenberg, most likely a doctor identified as a midwife due to her obstetric work, went on to be implicated in the 1909 abortion deaths of Stella Kelly and Florence Wright. She was also implicated in the 1921 abortion death of Violet McCormick. Later, in 1924, it was Dr. Louise Achtenberg who was held responsible for the death of Madelyn Anderson. In spite of all of these deaths, I can find no record that Achtenberg was ever incarcerated.
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 about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see Abortion Deaths 1900-1909.
For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion
Sources:
- Homicide in Chicago Interactive Database
- Death certificate
- "Midwife Is Under Arrest," Chicago Tribune, March 25, 1907
- "Woman Dies; Coroner Called," Chicago Inter-Ocean, March 25, 1907
- "Investigates Death of Fraud," Chicago Daily Tribune, March 26, 1907
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