Abortion Trend in Victorian Era

Abortion Trend in Victorian Era

By: Courtney Brown

            In the Victorian Era because of the dire need to control family size and prevent reproduction women turned to contraception. Since some contraception choices didn’t work for all women they turned to abortions. Abortion is the act of removing a fetus from the uterus lining to get rid of it before it actually is considered a life form. There were all types of methods using during this time period to induce miscarriage or abort the fetus. These methods were taught to these women by oral tradition, healers or midwifes, and manuals. The most commonly used method either by doctor or women trying to self-abort were using probes or sticks to dislodge the fetus from the uterus lining. When women couldn’t afford a doctor to perform an abortion they did it themselves with anything they could find as long as it could reach.[1] The problem with women doing it themselves even with instructions were that they could possibly puncture the uterus or vaginal wall. Another important risk that women were taking by doing self-abortions was serious infections that could cause death. In my opinion, I don’t think that anyone who willingly lays down for their own pleasure and engages in activities without taking proper precautions or smart precautions should be allowed the choice in taking a child’s life. I am pro-life when it comes to this matter.

There are certain situations that should be taken into consideration such as sexual assault or things where the woman had no control. In the event where having this child could possibly ruin this young person’s life then it shouldn’t be looked upon as unacceptable if they had no choice in the matter. Although all women in the Victorian Era who decided to have abortions didn’t go to a doctor there were also some who didn’t do it themselves either. There were women who went to unofficial doctors who were female physicians that used pseudonyms who aborted these fetuses for a small fee and it was very much illegal. Abortion in the Victorian Era was committed by northern white working-class women and northern white middle class women both for different reasons. The working class women usually aborted because they were usually young and most likely seduced by the boss and the middle class women wanted to limit their family size. Abortion was not acceptable in the South because it wasn’t stigmatized when slaves had babies out of wedlock. The abortion rates during the Victorian Era were significantly high because of how well they were advertised and they weren’t very expensive because you either went to a doctor or did it yourself or went to someone who could do it for you reasonably. The act of abortion is a very touchy subject for many people and I lean on the opinions that it shouldn’t be legal in cases where the act of sex is committed willingly. Either you practice abstinence or you take the proper precautions and get contraception and use them correctly. If you can’t do these two things then you deserve to get pregnant. Recent studies in Kenya show that unsafe abortions are becoming a big problem. Abortion in Kenya is illegal unless the mothers life is in danger. This law is based on the British legal system during the Victorian Era.[2]

 

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/05/ohio-remains-on-the-front-lines-of-americas-intractable-abortion-debate/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_birth_control

[1]Moore, Crystal. "Sexuality Within The Victorian Family" Lecture. February 18,2014

[2] The New York Times. Lorch, Donatella. "Unsafe Abortions Become A Big Problem in Kenya". http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/04/world/unsafe-abortions-become-a-big-problem-in-kenya.html?src=pm&pagewanted=1(Accessed February 26, 2014).