b. 7/16/1862
1913
100 years ago
Social activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett marches in Washington, D.C., with 5,000 suffragettes in a protest supporting women’s voting rights.
African American journalist and anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was born to slaves at Holly Springs, Missouri. Following the Civil War, as lynchings became prevalent, Wells traveled extensively, founding anti-lynching societies and black women’s clubs.
January 19, 2016 by Stephanie Hallett
As the anniversary of Roe v. Wade approaches on Jan. 22—and with the Supreme Court set to revisit women’s fundamental right to access abortion in the Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole case, the most serious threat to abortion since 1992—the Ms. Blog decided to look back at the realities of illegal abortion pre-Roe, and for women today who lack access to proper care.
As part of our #WeWontGoBack campaign, Ms. Blog readers are sharing their own stories, or the stories of friends and family members who have resorted to illegal abortions because they had no choice. Use the hashtag to share your story on social media.
Below, read pre-Roe abortion stories collected from the Ms. Facebook page.
“In 9th grade a good friend became pregnant by our AAU coach. He threatened to kill her if she told how she became pregnant. Her parents were divorced and her mother had committed suicide a few weeks prior. She borrowed money from everyone and wrote a check on [her] dad’s account to go to [the] local abortionist. She died in [the] girls bathroom a week later. … She was a very talented artist and composed music. I had known her since third grade and even now, at 62, can hear her laughter and have a caricature of myself she drew. She had to be buried in a different cementary as was Catholic raised, as did her mom. After her death a group told the coach to quit or we would tell. We were 14-year-old kids doing the best we could for our friend. … She was just a baby herself.” — Evelyn H.
“When I was in a Midwest high school, we pooled our babysitting money to help our 16-year-old friend fly to Mexico, alone, for an abortion. Her parents thought she was staying at a friend’s home overnight. Imagine. I am 64. Never again—not going back.” — Bonnie B.
“My mom had one in Tijuana in the late 1960s. She told me she remembers watching the doctor use fire to sterilize the tools. She was OK, but terrified. She had given up a child for adoption a few years prior and couldn’t face that loss again. … I need to get the full story from her soon. I was afraid to ask for more details. It seemed like something she had kept hidden for so long. She only shared this with me when I was in my late 20s. Abortion must remain a safe and legal option.” — Jena G.
“I had a roommate in Madison, Wisconsin who became pregnant and, because in 1969 you couldn’t get an abortion in Wisconsin, the four roommates chipped in to buy her a plane ticket to NYC to have the abortion. She came home in fine shape but it was traumatic for her not to have a regional option and not having the funds as a college student to pay for it. So when I read about the closing of Planned Parenthood clinics so that underserved women don’t have regional options even for breast exams or Pap smears it is infuriating!” — Susan A.K.
“My submission is very short. It is about my Mother, b. 1924, d. 1971.
She was found in a pool of blood on her cold white tile bathroom floor. Her mother found her. She was discovered, [she] did not die. Later, she had my sister and me. After her suicide at age 46, her mother told [me] about finding her daughter unconscious in a pool of blood.” — Carol F.
“In 1932 at the height of the Great Depression, my grandmother had one little boy and was five months pregnant with her second child. She was a lifelong, devout Catholic. My grandfather just came home to their tiny-two room apartment and informed her that he was leaving her for another woman. She had no job and was about to be evicted from her apartment. She was desperate, terrified and alone. A week after my grandfather left, she found a back-alley abortionist who performed [the] abortion and she very nearly bled to death. … [Then] she returned home and delivered a ‘stillborn’ (or so her parents thought) baby boy. She developed peritonitis and lapsed into a weeklong coma. When she regained consciousness and realized what she had done, she cried non-stop for two months. I was the only person she ever told; she told me that her grief and sorrow was so intense that she feared dying as she was terrified of having to face the child she aborted. She lived to be 102 and never once allowed herself forgiveness.” — Patricia H.
“My mom spoke of aunts and other beloved female family members who could not afford and/or could not handle another pregnancy and child. All that was available to them was ‘kitchen table’ abortions done in secret with a coat hanger. The pregnancy was aborted, but these women died horrible deaths from peritonitis due to internal punctures and infections. They felt as though they had no choice and were desperate not to have more children. My mom was haunted by their stories and the fact they felt so trapped. It was such a loss for her and the family to lose these lively, strong women. This was in the 1930s and ’40s.” — Jayne B.
“I’m a 62-year-old man but I know that my single mother had an illegal abortion in her teens, before I was born, that almost killed her. She couldn’t stop bleeding and couldn’t go to the hospital without facing criminal charges. All she could do was wait it out in a hotel room. Apparently, her boyfriend collected newspapers for her to sit on to collect the blood.” — Wm P.
Photo via Flickr user Kool Cats Photography licensed under Creative Commons 2.0
First lady of the United States of America from 1933 to 1945, Eleanor Roosevelt was appointed, in 1946, as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly by United States President Harry S. Truman. She served as the first Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights and played an instrumental role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At a time of increasing East- West tensions, Eleanor Roosevelt used her enormous prestige and credibility with both superpowers to steer the drafting process toward its successful completion. In 1968, she was posthumously awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize.
Hansa Mehta of India, the only other female delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1947-48, was a staunch fighter for women’s rights in India and abroad. She is widely credited with changing the phrase “All men are born free and equal” to “All human beings are born free and equal” in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
MINERVA BERNARDINO, A diplomat and feminist leader from the Dominican Republic, Minerva Bernardino was instrumental in arguing for inclusion of “the equality of men and women” in the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Together with other Latin American women (Bertha Lutz of Brazil and Isabel de Vidal of Uruguay), she had also played a crucial role in advocating for the inclusion of women’s rights and nondiscrimination based on sex in the United Nations Charter, which in 1945 became the first international agreement to recognize the equal rights of men and women.
As a delegate to the General Assembly’s Third Committee on social, humanitarian and cultural matters, which in 1948 spent 81 meetings discussing the draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Begum Shaista Ikramullah of Pakistan advocated for emphasis on freedom, equality and choice in the Declaration. She championed the inclusion of Article 16, on equal rights in marriage, which she saw as a way to combat child marriage and forced marriage.
As Chairperson of the Sub- Commission on the Status of Women in 1946, and then of the Commission on the Status of Women in 1947, Bodil Begtrup of Denmark advocated for the Universal Declaration to refer to “all” or “everyone” as the holders of the rights, rather than “all men.” She also proposed including the rights of minorities in Article 26 on the right to education, but her ideas were too controversial at the time. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes no explicit mention of minority rights, but guarantees equal right to everyone.
As Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women in 1948, Marie-Hélène Lefaucheux of France successfully advocated for a mention of non-discrimination based on sex to be included in Article 2. The final text of the article states that, “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”
UN Photo/Kari Berggrav
Evdokia Uralova of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was the Rapporteur of the Commission on the Status of Women to the Commission on Human Rights in 1947. She strongly argued for equal pay for women. Thanks to her, Article 23 states that “Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.” Together with Fryderyka Kalinowska of Poland and Elizavieta Popova of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, she also stressed the rights of persons in Non-Self-Governing Territories (Article 2).
Lakshmi Menon, delegate of India to the General Assembly’s Third Committee in 1948, argued forcefully for the repetition of non-discrimination based on sex throughout the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as for a mention of “the equal rights of men and women” in the preamble. She was also an outspoken advocate of the “universality” of human rights, strongly opposing the concept of “colonial relativism” that sought to deny human rights to people in countries under colonial rule. If women, and people under colonial rule, were not explicitly mentioned in the Universal Declaration, they would not be considered included in “everyone,” she argued.
Source: un.org
So, here we are in the 21st Century, Women have a constitutional right to have an abortion yet secret and not so secret bills are being passed as if they(republicans) know what is best for all Women, just think about that and ask yourself … why is a healthcare panel made up of men considering women’s health who keep making strange comments about our lady parts while throwing ALL Women into one basket then under a bus ? Trump says women should have some sort of punishment for exercising their rights, while conservative lawmakers, governors, and mayors continue to puke on the Constitution by passing lawless bills.
Who woulda thunk, that places like Alabama don’t seem to understand that they have just waged War against Women in a big huge way; hopefully, this will get a swift and damaging response at the ballot box ~ special elections and election2020. Which will need to be guarded like it has never been before btw.
The fact is, Women lead very different lives, make individual decisions every minute of the day ~just like men … an abortion, like any other procedure is just one of several health care issues Women may have to encounter. The best solutions: Birth Control in all its forms as well as safe affordable legal constitutional right to an abortion. I find it beyond offensive to hear Republicans infer that an abortion is chosen carelessly and for those who seem to think birth control in all its forms is a federal or states right issue actually use it as a Republican political football. The fact is that Republicans with Women in their lives forget that their position pushes up against 98% of those who use birth control and they need to stop forcing their “family values” on women, focus on Jobs, Immigration, ending any idea of income inequality and Climate Change among just a few issues at the moment. I say, honestly, it doesn’t look at all possible for republicans to come to their senses, so vote for the Democratic Party that supports upward mobility as well as the middle lower classes and the poor = equality for all… 
Call on your favourite republicans and ask why they assume Women are ill-equipped, silly, naïve or would put up with abortion bans without a fight ? least we talk about how hard a decision like an abortion is: It is NOT easy or done willy nilly! and while they seem to forget it conveniently …women DID use coat hangers, went to folks who were NOT in the medical field but took their money, performed abortions and some women, this ended up being a fatal choice
It is hard for me to believe pro-lifers do not understand that every part of a woman’s health is subject to being penalized these days and that includes reproductive health care, which includes a wide range of health care issues. It is bad enough that lawmakers actually would subject women to demeaning practices like undergo a transvaginal scope; make them wait 72hrs, but to make doctors liable for jail time too. I have to say that among other ridiculous laws that need a vote in Congress, The Hyde Amendment or rider, requires a vote every year … the Hyde Amendment is a legislative provision barring the use of certain federal funds to pay for abortions with exceptions for incest and rape.[1] It is not a permanent law, rather it is a “rider” that, in various forms, has been routinely attached to annual appropriations bills since 1976. The Hyde Amendment applies only to funds allocated by the annual appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services. It primarily affects Medicaid. wiki
I also admit that it pisses me off that the latest group of people in congress are still getting away with saying one thing in front of a camera yet voting another way on the floor of congress, which includes spewing and or forcing their “family values” platform/ideology on what I thought were free Americans. What year is it again? The Republican Tea Party is now considered the trump Nationalist party, who truly wants to by way of religious ideology control women, their bodies and or change laws for the sake of that “family values” platform or whatever they claim it is now, and it definitely looks like the epitome of big government and an invasion of privacy one state at a time.
In this era of trump, I cannot be the only one tired of the “Do as we say Not as we do behavior.” If you want to become President of the US of A give Americans full disclosure. Women need to know if you support unnecessary procedures like a transvaginal scope … Yet; the same people accuse President Obama of withholding information from the public or not being an American get offended when asked to provide personal information. We are their constituents; we all deserve to know how these people will vote on issues of religion, race, gender, and or abortion. The beliefs of members of Congress dictate to how the vote will affect our constitutional rights. If you were listening, conservative politicians, some conservadems have been ramping up of vitriolic “family values” not just now but for years and their rhetoric is also pushing the discussion of women’s rights, religion, race and gender preference up to the surface to rile their base. In some cases, violence threats and death have resulted. Now, folks are seeing that Republican Governors Mayors and state reps have had a plan to take the rhetoric a step further by passing anti-abortion legislation all over the country in fact as stated by NWLC – “Ninety-two. That’s the number of anti-abortion measures passed into law across the U.S. in 2011. In addition, in case you are wondering, yes, that is a record — in fact, it is over 2.5 times the previous record. “
Bad enough that Women must continue to fight for our rights like equal pay, daycare, medical leave let alone safe affordable access to reproductive health care in the year 2019. This move, mostly by men is even more insane since there are more female members of Congress now with approximately 101, and yes, the conservative members who say they are fiscally conservative, want less government in their (our) lives are now leading the way to stricter abortions laws as well as trying to end Roe V Wade. I don’t get this archaic attitude but guaranteed the fight for the right to choose is definitely on while topics like abortion, stem cell research/experiments, and religious freedom get them flustered; they put their undies in a bunch about funding. I could not vote for a woman who puts religion over personal family decisions, choice& maturity to have a “right to choose,” no matter what side of the political aisle they sit. The fact is, women who choose to have an abortion do so with great trepidation, not because they are heartless, but based on options given by qualified medical teams or if the fetus is not viable or at risk or both mom and fetus are at risk. FYI! The decision is discussed with a counselor and a doctor before any procedure happens. Yes, from personal experience.
The choice to have an abortion is not an easy one, but it seems more than just an American duty to offer a safe place, an affordable procedure, than having women desperate enough to take actions that could put their lives at risk like they did before roe V wade. The idea that any member of Congress would want to control a woman’s body is ludicrous at best and, again, the epitome of BIG Government; they should accept the Hyde – Amendment as the law and stay out of our 21st-century lives. The conservative ideology, clearly barbaric; spews old school dogma and not only crosses the line, it has solidified a need, a call for an unprecedented effort for a grassroots movement to keep our Democracy safe.
If you live under a republican controlled State and need, or know someone in need of safe, affordable healthcare with limited funds, your life has got to be beyond difficult. Now, imagine the impact that repealing, replacing, and eliminating access would have on ALL our families, friends, or co-workers. The idea that some republicans want to go back to a time when women and people of colour had no rights- seen but not heard and yes, it sounds silly, but before you laugh, take some time and listen to congressional members led by republicans and those running for office closely.
Just when I thought we were all moving into the 21st century … sigh
Nativegrl77
Be a Seed for Change 
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