Juliet Pottinger1900s, chicago, illinois, illegaldoctor, 20sOn January 7, 1901, 21-year-old Juliet K. Pottinger (alt. Julia K. Pettinger) died in her home at 520 Wood St., Chicago, from an abortion performed there that day. Dr. Maggie Becker (or Bockes) was arrested April 24, based on a coroner’s verdict that day.

Juliet had been a homemaker. Her husband, 23-year-old James A. Pottinger, was left to raise their toddler daughter.

Becker was held to grand jury, tried, convicted, and sentenced to 14 years in Joilet Penitentiary. It had taken the jury five hours to reach the verdict. Though the actual deathbed statement Juliet had given was not admitted as evidence, both Juliet’s husband and her mother were permitted to testify about things Juliet had said to them before dying.

Becker heard the verdict stoically, but Julia’s widower wept.

Juliet’s abortion was typical of criminal abortions in that it was performed by a physician.

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
• “Woman Convicted of Murder,” Chicago Inter Ocean, Apr. 25, 1901
• “Woman Doctor is Convicted of Murder,” St. Joseph (MO) Gazette-Herald, Apr. 26, 1901

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