Minnie Schofield19101919, 30s, chicago, illinois, illegaldoctorOn March 13, 1917, 33-year-old Minnie L. Schofield (misspelled as both Mannie and Hannie on the source document) died at a Chicago residence after an abortion performed that day by Dr. Fred L. Orsinger. Both Orsinger and Minnie’s husband, Thomas, were held by the coroner. Thomas never went to trial; Orsinger was acquitted on May 8, 1920. Minnie was in immigrant from Ireland.

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.

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

Sources:

• Homicide in Chicago Interactive Database
• Death Certificate
• Untitled clipping, Chicago Day Book, Mar. 13, 1917

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1. 1900s
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