Resistance of Women to the Law: The Theory and Practice of Abortion Laws in the United States Before the Roe v. Wade Decision

Author: (USA) Solly Zuckerman, translated by Xu Ping
Translator: Xu Ping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: Several years later, once it was possible, she escaped her unhappy marriage and returned from Seattle to Portland. Her husband was the exclusive agent for CantBust—Em and gold rush mining suits in Seattle. Maggie's birth might have made her realize that she would not be content staying at home, being the wife of a traveling salesman. In fact, Harry Cohen was not Maggie's father. Rose kept it a secret for nearly 30 years, revealing nothing until a special circumstance forced her to tell her daughter the truth. Maggie's father was Harry's more dashing older brother, Arthur, who later successfully became a renowned corporate lawyer. In 1915, he had an affair with his sister-in-law but had no intention of marrying her. Rose felt hurt and deceived and eventually grew tired of her husband. Her spirit was not broken; she still longed for Portland, her friend Alice, and the life of adventure and purpose. Every time Rose went to Portland, she told her husband she was going home to visit her parents. In reality, she was meeting Alice. In fact, every time she met Alice, it made her feel restless, underappreciated, and confident. Alice welcomed her too. "I'm still young and inexperienced, but the doctor seems to enjoy my company. She's willing to take me on visits, to the charity hospital, where we toured the maternity ward. I sat in the corridor above the operating room while she performed appendectomies, hysterectomies, and cesarean sections. She's an interesting and outstanding woman, and I enjoy being with her." Alice decided to become a professional abortionist, around the time Rose was always visiting her. Among Alice's patients, many sought her to terminate pregnancies, which led her to consider whether she should become a full-time abortion doctor. The business prospered swiftly: the United States entered World War I, young people left the U.S. for Europe, and unwillingly pregnant girlfriends and wives found Alice Grif. Rose often came from Seattle to help Alice. Clearly, abortion patients needed a close confidante to assist them, and she thought of Rose. This young woman, interested in Alice's life, especially her work, found herself willing to spend hours at a time sitting at the feet of this mentor and friend, listening. "To me, this seemed like the most interesting work in the world. This subconscious impulse propelled my career forward rapidly." Rose grew farther away from Harry and began to dream of becoming an abortionist. "The idea of being able to help women in this way, in a real and tangible way, fascinated me." Five years after meeting Alice in 1918, Rose divorced and was certain of her calling. In reality, she had already packed her and Maggie's belongings and returned to Portland. Soon after, she began working at Alice's clinic, earning $50 a week, which was more than the going rate. Rose learned quickly. In addition to abortion techniques, she learned to "be indifferent to filth and blind to absurdity." After just a few weeks of training, Alice allowed her to stand beside her during entire surgeries, and then, to Rose's delight, she was allowed to complete the work that Alice had been doing. Rose Barnett had found her life's work. Looking back at her——a steadfast anti-choice advocate.