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Cover of When abortion was a crime

When abortion was a crime

women, medicine and law in the United States, 1867-1973

By Leslie J. Reagan

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Publish Date

1997

Publisher

University of California Press

Language

eng

Pages

400

Description:

This is the first book to examine the entire period during which abortion was illegal in the United States, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century and ending with Roe v. Wade in 1973. In her eloquent account, Leslie J. Reagan uncovers the secret history of abortion in America. Although illegal, millions of abortions were provided during these years to women of every class, race, and marital status. The experiences and perspectives of these women, along with their families, physicians, and midwives, are movingly portrayed in this prize-winning book. Reagan's analysis of previously untapped sources, including inquest records and trial transcripts, reveals the fragility of patient rights and raises provocative questions about the relationship between medicine and law.