dren who come into the world handicapped
by the disgrace of illegitimacy, life is torture indeed. It is with a
breaking heart generally and because there is no other way out of the
dilemma that a mother puts her baby away in a foundling asylum. She
hopes and prays for its speedy death.

Taking into consideration the pitifully unhappy lot of the
illegitimate mother and illegitimate child, it is no wonder that every
unmarried woman, as soon as she finds herself pregnant, is frantically
determined to get rid of the child in the womb as soon as possible.
And abortion thrives in every civilized country. Thousands and
thousands of doctors and semi-doctors and midwives are making a rich
living in this country from practicing abortion. The greater the
disgrace with which illegitimacy is considered in a country, the
stricter the prohibition against the use of measures for the
prevention of conception, the greater the number of abortions in that
country. But abortion is not a trifle, to be undertaken with a light
heart. It is true that if performed by a thoroughly competent
physician, with all aseptic precautions, it is practically free from
danger. But when performed by a careless physician or an ignorant
midwife, trouble is apt to happen. Blood poisoning may set in, and the
patient may be very sick for a time, and may on recovery from the
acute illness remain a chronic invalid for life. And occasionally the
patient dies. Whether or not abortion is justifiable under special
circumstances is a separate question, which I have discussed in
another place. But leaving aside the ethics of the question, if you
have determined to have an abortion produced, be sure to go to a
conscientious physician, and avoid the quacks and midwives. An
unexpected and undesired pregnancy is punishment enough and there is
no reason why you should be further punished by becoming a chronic
invalid or by paying with your life. There is no sense in it. Nobody
will profit by your invalidism or your death.

I do not wish to leave this topic without re-emphasizing the fact that
abortion is not a trifle, to be undertaken or even to be spoken of
lightly. Too many women, not only in the radical ranks, but in the
conservative ranks as well, are in the habit of considering abortion
as a joke, a trifling annoyance, something like a cold in the head,
which, while disagreeable, is sure to pass away in a day or two. They
know Mrs. A and Mrs. B and perhaps Miss C who h