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How Long Has Abortion Been Around?
from:The answer to the question, “How long has abortion been around” is surprising. Contrary to popular belief, abortion was not invented with the Roe vs. Wade court decision. In fact, since the ancient Greek and Roman times, abortion has been a common procedure and, until the late 18th and early 19th centuries, abortion was actually legal in most parts of the world. The Greek and Roman philosophers wrote extensively about abortion, and many agreed with its practice. Some even wrote treatises on abortion, its benefits, and even discussed what abortifacient (or abortion causing) herbs to use and how to use them. Abortions in this time were not very different from ones that happen today, only now abortion is legalized and regulated by the government and medical community, making it a much safer practice. This is only the beginning of the answer to how long has abortion been around.
In Southeast Asia, massage abortion has been practiced for centuries. This is when pressure is used on the belly to cause abortion. The earliest representation of this is from 1150 AD in a carving in Cambodia. Records of abortions in the 12th century exist in Japan. English women used many different practices in the middle ages. Most common were exercise and using a girdle, which was tightened to place pressure on the abdomen.
It is important when answering the question how long has abortion been around to discuss the start of the abortion bans. In the 19th century, the advent of anesthetic, surgical knowledge and sanitary medical practices made abortion a safer option for a woman, but this coincided with the beginning of bans on abortion. Abortions were even advertised in newspapers. These advertisements were rather vague, offering things like abrotifacient herb pills as a lady’s “remedy”.
The question of how long has abortion been around lead us to Victorian Era United States, where a woman named Ann Lohman, commonly known as Madame Restell, was a famous abortionist. During a time when abortions were illegal, she was a primary target for law enforcement. She had clinics in both Boston and Philadelphia, and she advertised her services. Her discreet ads stated that she sold pills to help regulate a woman’s menstrual cycle. She also addressed married women, asking if the expansion of a family was worth the problems it can cause, both financially and emotionally. Madame Restell was arrested and scheduled to be tried in 1878, but she committed suicide on the day of her trial.