"A Complete Disaster": Abortion and the Politics of Hospital Abortion Committees, 1950-1970

Abstract

This discussion of the politics of abortion between 1950 and 1970 in the US focuses on the following topics: legal abortions before Roe vs. Wade the difficulties of physicians in adapting abortion technology to practice the rise of hospital abortion committees the pressure from women for legal therapeutic abortion and a redefinition of pregnancy womens threat of suicide because of an unwanted pregnancy physicians threats of sterilization and the limits of abortion committees. Some issues are not discussed such as physicians attitudes toward abortion and women of different races ethnic groups and social classes; the medical attitude toward illegal abortionists; or the opinions of pregnant women. The physicians concern in the literature is identified as their role in protecting and preserving the links between sexuality femininity marriage and maternity. The physicians concern is not expressed in the literature on when life begins. Physicians are concerned about professional dignity and strategies to preserve the power and legal standing of the medical profession. Physicians use scientific evidence to define the pregnant woman as subservient to the fetus. Maintaining womens link to the fetus serves the function of maintaining social control over womens moral role to serve the fetus and of giving physicians the autonomy to make abortion decisions for women. Women face a difficult challenge in asserting that pregnancy is not the moral duty of females. Society has a moral obligation to grant reproductive freedom to the citizenry.