Ian Radforth - Jeannies Demise: Abortion on Trial in Victorian Toronto

Ian Radforth

Between the Lines

Toronto

Jeannies Demise

2020 Ian Radforth

First published in 2020 by

Between the Lines

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ISBN 9781771135139

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To her horror, a young, single woman in 1875 Toronto found herself pregnant. Anxious to avoid the shame of giving birth to an illegitimate child, Jeannie Gilmour turned to a married couple who performed abortions, without having a physicians licence or formal medical training of any kind. The clumsily conducted, brutally painful operation was carried out at the abortionists home on a side street in the heart of the city. Jeannie died soon after she miscarried. The abortion providers then took steps to hide the body and distance themselves from her death. They were unsuccessful and they came before the courts. Jeannie Gilmours demise provides a window onto the society and culture of Victorian Toronto, particularly regarding the law and abortions.

All abortions were illegal in 1875 Canada. The law, of course, did not end abortions. Rather, it drove much of the business into the untrained hands of men and women who sought to profit from desperate women seeking the service. The risks to the health and lives of these women were enormous.

In todays Toronto abortion is legal, but recent developments in the United States demonstrate the fragility of abortion rights. Jeannies story is a reminder of the risks to women when abortion is a crime.

I want to thank several people who assisted in the completion of this book. My good friend Paul Eprile took a keen interest in Jeannies story from the start, and throughout the research and writing he was a constant source of encouragement, wise advice, and unpaid editorial expertise. Friends who read parts or all of the manuscript and offered stimulating feedback deserve acknowledgement here: Debbie Honickman, Donna Gabaccia, Jeffrey Pilcher, Chris Raible, Kathy Scardellato, and Mariana Valverde. I appreciate the learned advice I received when I presented a paper on the topic to the Osgoode Legal History Workshop. I especially am thankful for the feedback of Carolyn Strange, who urged me to turn a chapter into a book, and of Jonathan Swainger, who shared research notes. I appreciate the early encouragement of Constance Backhouse and William Wicken. The questions at my talk to colleagues at University College, University of Toronto, were very helpful. At Between the Lines, my editor, Amanda Crocker, has been in my corner from the start, and Devin Clancy has handled production with care. Tilman Lewis, copy editor extraordinaire, smoothed my prose, clarified the narrative, and saved me from making many slips. Nathan Wessel produced the maps with promptness and skill. My partner, Franca Iacovetta, was wonderfully supportive all along, not least because this, my first retirement project, kept me occupied, which enabled her to get on with her own historical research and writing.