Tag: Abortion
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Risking it all to save strangers—Remembering Gisella Perl
Jacquline MusgravePeoria, Arizona, United States Her hands were cracked and covered in mud and dirt as she delivered the baby, broke its little neck, closed its eyes, and buried it in a hole outside. No one would know about this baby, or the others who would meet the same fate. She did it to save…
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Notes on a first abortion
Henry Bair Stanford, California, United States The first time I saw a late-term abortion by dilation and evacuation, I was surprised that it was a fairly minor procedure. I was to observe the termination at twenty-three weeks of gestation as part of my obstetrics-gynecology rotation, and while the procedure can be performed in a clinic rather…
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The evolution of attitude towards sexual health in the Netherlands
Olga LoeberNijmegen, Netherlands Introduction The Netherlands is thought of as a progressive society compared to other countries, but this is actually a recent development. In 1885, the Neo Malthusian League (NMB) published a brochure titled: “Means to prevent large families.” Founded in 1881, NMB stated that there would be: “no improvement of the race without…
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The doctor in literature: The abortion and the abortionist
Solomon PosenSydney, Australia “I will not give to a woman a pessary to cause abortion. But I will keep pure and holy both my life andmy art.”1“It’s an awfully simple operation.”2 The clinical scenario of a physician confronted by a desperate woman begging for a termination of her pregnancy is extremely common in the real…
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Plaintive music
Ron DomenPennsylvania, United States Poet’s statement The loss of an unborn child through miscarriage, abortion, or premature death is always a highly charged emotional event for the parents. My poem is an attempt to not only capture the emotion of such an event but also to be mindful that life is renewed. The inspiration for…