Amelia Cardito1940s, 30s, illegaldoctor, newyorkSUMMARY: Amelia Cardito, age 34, died February 23 after an abortion perpetrated in New York by Dr. Anthony Renda.

On February 14, 1943, Amelia Cardito, 34-year-old mother of 4, underwent an illegal abortion at the office of Dr. Anthony Renda. Amelia died nine days later in a New York hospital.

Renda, author of three books on obstetrics, may have been a smart doctor, but he was a stupid crook. He implicated himself when he called police to complain that Amelia’s widower, James, was shaking him down for $2,500 to cover hospital and funeral expenses.

Police were able to observe Renda paying Cardito $1,000. Mr. Cardito didn’t face any extortion charges, but Renda was sentenced to 7 years in Sing-Sing for Amelia’s death.

Amelia’s abortion was typical of pre-legalization abortions in that it was performed by a physician.

During the 1940s, while abortion was still illegal, there was a massive drop in maternal mortality from abortion. The death toll fell from 1,407 in 1940, to 744 in 1945, to 263 in 1950. Most researches attribute this plunge to the development of blood transfusion techniques and the introduction of antibiotics. Learn more here.

For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

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Source:

• New York Times 4-1-43, 4-22-43, 4-21-44, 5-12-44;
• //Sexual Blackmail, a Modern History//, by Angus McLaren, Harvard University Press, 2002
• “Doctor is Sentenced for Illegal Operation,” Springfield (MA) Republican, May 12, 1944

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