Notable Abortion Dates in the 20th Century:
The Transition Period: 1950-1970

Events listed are not necessarily the most important events of the 20th Century regarding abortion. They are, however, among the most interesting and thought-provoking.

To make it easier to follow themes, I've used color coding. Click on the colors in this paragraph for information about these themes. Pro-life efforts are in green. Maternal deaths are in red. Events that pushed us toward the current abortion regime are in orange. Information about mortality trends are in grey. Saline/instillation abortion trends are in purple. Breast cancer information is in pink.

1950 Dr. Timanus arrested for abortion in Baltimore; he follows Dr. Aleck Bourne's example in trying to use his trial to overturn abortion laws, but does not succeed. (LJR)

1951 New York City counts a total of 15 deaths from all abortions (legal, illegal, and spontaneous), down from 144 in 1921.(MSC)

1954 Virginia Hopkins Watson, who had been on a record-setting relay swimming team with Esther Williams in 1939, and had herself set the world's fifty-meter record in 1938, decided to schedule an abortion because she thought a baby would hurt her planned Hollywood career. Virginia died of peritonitis at General Hospital in Los Angeles, California.(NYT) * The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals establishes standards requiring consultation for abortion, sterilization, and c-sections. (LJR)

1957 Study shows increased risk of breast cancer in pregnancies that end in spontaneous or induced abortion. (Segi, Fukushima, Kurihara, "An Epidemiological Study of Cancer in Japan," GANN, Vol. 48) * Total US mortality for all abortions (legal, illegal, and spontaneous) tallied at 260.(MSC)

1958 Dr. Keemer tried for criminal abortion in Detroit. Like Bourne and Timanus, he tried to use his trial to overturn abortion laws, but does not succeed. (LJR)

1959 Dr. Mary Calderone publishes the conclusions of the Planned Parenthood abortion symposium; Calderone admits that medical advances have eliminated abortion mortality as a serious public health concern, but instead focuses on elective abortion as being a public health good because "health" should be expanded to include the person's social and emotional state. (LJR)(MSC)

1960 Planned Parenthood Medical Director Mary Calderone again publishes the finding that the US abortion toll (including spontaneous and legal abortions) for 1957 had been 260. She reiterates that abortion deaths were a vanishing problem, but pushed for a broader understanding of "health" to include alleviating the woman's immediate distress of pregnancy. Calderone pushed for legalization despite noting that properly counseled women tended to reject abortion once they'd had a chance to overcome their initial panic.(MSC)

1961 Vacuum aspiration abortions popularized in Europe. * Patricia Maginnis begins her career of abortion activism, pushing first for reform of laws, then for repeal; she was among the first to publicly advocate abortion on demand. (LJR)

1962 Sherri Finkbine, host of Romper Room, goes to Sweden to abort a baby she suspects has been deformed due to her illegal use of Thalidomide. Sympathy for Finkbine leads to support for the idea of aborting babies who might have birth defects.(LJR) * Dr. Harvey Lothringer disposes of the body of abortion patient Barbara Lofrumento by cutting her up and flushing her down the toilet and garbage disposal.Lothringer fled the country and was extradicted from France to stand trial.(NYT)

1963 Dr. Aleck Bourne, who had challenged British abortion laws in 1938, publishes in his memoirs: "Those who plead for an extensive relaxation of the [abortion] law have no idea of the very many cases where a woman who, during the first three months, makes a most impassioned appeal for her pregnancy to be 'finished;' later, when the baby is born, is thankful indeed that it was not killed while an embryo. During my long years in practice I have had many a letter of the deepest gratitude for refusing to accede to an early appeal."(RFRG)

1964 Geraldine Santoro found dead in a motel room after her boyfriend botches a criminal abortion. Abortion advocates obtain a photo of Santoro's nude body and circulate it as an argument in favor of legalizing abortion.

1967 In New York, 21 members of the clergy organize the Clergy Consultation Service On Abortion to refer women to abortionists, including Jesse Ketchum. CCS expands and becomes a national network. * "Jane" criminal abortion syndicate launched in Chicago. (LJR)l* British Abortion Act, codifying the Bourne case allowing abortion in cases where the abortionist thinks it's a good idea, passed. (Technically the Act spells out when abortion is permitted, but is broad enough to amount to, "If the abortionist wants to do it, go for it.") (RFRG) * Officials count a total of 160 criminal abortion deaths nationwide.(BN)

1968 The first full year of decriminalized abortion in Maryland sees 2,134 legal abortions reported.

1969 Ruth Smith, Dr. Lonny Myers, Dr. Bernard Nathanson, and Lawrence Lader found National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL) and resurrect Taussig's bogus abortion mortality numbers. * The second full year of decriminalized abortion in Maryland sees 5,530 reported abortions, an increase of 159% over the previous year. * People vs. Belous finds California abortion law unconstitutional. Abortion hospitals begin opening in California. (LJR)

1900 - 1950: Pre-Paradigm Shift
1950 - 1970: The Transitional Period
1970 - 1999: The Post-Legalization Era

Related Links
Abortion's Roots in America
Evolution of the Abortion Debate