Prompt Cast
The History of Abortion Criminalization in the United States
TLDR This episode explores the transformation of abortion from a thriving practice in the early days of the United States to a criminal offense by the late 19th century. It delves into the professionalization of obstetrics by white male doctors, the campaign led by Horatio Storer to make abortion a moral and legal issue, and the subsequent criminalization of abortion, leading to dangerous and traumatic experiences for women seeking abortions.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The episode explores the history of the criminalization of abortion in the United States, starting from the thriving practice of abortion in the early days of the country to its transformation into a criminal offense by the late 19th century.
05:45
The episode explores the professionalization of obstetrics by white male doctors in the early 1800s and their disregard for midwives, as well as the shift in dynamics in the delivery room with the introduction of male doctors.
11:16
The professionalization of obstetrics by white male doctors in the early 1800s faced skepticism from women and other doctors, as the field had previously been dominated by women, particularly black women, and male doctors performing pelvic exams was considered improper; the American Medical Association (AMA) was established in 1847 but excluded women and African Americans, and the AMA struggled to gain respect, leading Horatio Storer to focus on abortion as a means to make the medical profession more respectable.
16:02
Madame Rostel, a female physician in New York City in the 1800s, offered various services related to women's reproductive health, including surgical abortions, and despite facing some legal challenges, she continued to thrive in the abortion business until a moral tide began to sweep the country, leading to a campaign led by Horatio Storer to make abortion both a moral and legal issue.
21:32
Horatio Storer, the key figure in the anti-abortion movement, wrote a letter on behalf of the president of the AMA opposing abortion, arguing that life begins at conception and using racial fears to target Protestant white women who were seeking abortions, with the goal of increasing their birth rates and eliminating competition from midwives and other providers.
26:22
The anti-abortion campaign led by Horatio Storer and the AMA, along with Anthony Comstock's anti-contraception campaign, resulted in the criminalization of abortion and the sidelining of midwives and other providers, ultimately giving control of the procedure to doctors.
31:29
The criminalization of abortion led to dangerous and traumatic experiences for women seeking abortions, including illegal procedures performed by unqualified doctors and the mistreatment and judgment of medical professionals.
37:29
Illegal abortions became increasingly prevalent in the 1940s and 1950s, with some doctors risking their licenses and freedom to provide secret abortions, while the majority of women resorted to dangerous self-abortions, resulting in stark differences in outcomes based on socioeconomic status and race.
42:42
Doctors and medical students in the 1950s and 1960s, witnessing the devastating consequences of illegal abortions, joined forces with lawyers to reform abortion laws at the state level, leading to the passage of reform laws in several states and the legalization of abortion in four states, while Catholic anti-abortion activists began to mobilize and the women's liberation movement shifted its focus towards the sexual revolution.
47:30
The feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s, while initially critical of doctors and the medical establishment, found themselves working with doctors to advocate for abortion rights, although there were disagreements within the movement about the best approach to achieve those rights, and the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade in 1973 legalized abortion nationwide, but the fight for reproductive rights was far from over.
Categories:
History
Society & Culture
