The Fight for the Female Body: A Female Doctor on the Edge of Law and Conscience

Prosecutors and judges, doctors and journalists, ordinary citizens and members of parliament: it seemed that all of America had united against the famous Madame Restell, who openly provided contraception and abortion services for four decades in the Victorian era, when everything concerning the female body was diligently silenced. Her case became the first step in a long campaign to criminalize abortions in the States: many decades before, the procedure had been completely legal. This book is not only an engaging biography of a scandalous heroine of newspaper articles, legislative debates, and court reports, but also a chronicle of the struggle for reproductive rights and the colossal moral panic that swept the West.

"For some residents of New York, Madame Restell epitomized the vices of burgeoning cities and the new sexual and moral culture of the United States. Restell called herself a female doctor, but she did not have a medical education; an increasing number of educated professionals wanted her to leave the profession. She excelled in her work at a time when it was believed that only men could run businesses. On top of everything, she made a large profit and was not afraid to boast about it. None of her clients died, unlike many doctors—women or men—who could not claim the same. And despite the outcries of the crowd condemning her activities, the trickle of clients, transformed into a river, quietly and steadily flowed to the midwife's door. The voices speaking against her were loud and numerous, but only a few spoke in her defense. Therefore, she took matters into her own hands" (Nicholas L. Syrett).