In this episode we are looking into the first time abortion was made illegal in the US. This is the first of a special two-part series looking at the history of abortion in the US and the UK.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade in June ended almost half a century of the option to choose whether to continue a pregnancy in the US. 

But abortion had not always been illegal before Roe v. Wade. So when did this happen? How was it policed? And were all abortions forced into alleyways or were there any safer options?

Kate spoke to Professor Leslie J. Reagan from the University of Illinois. Leslie is the author of When Abortion Was a Crime, she explains the forces which drove abortions underground in the late 19th century, the methods of enforcement for these laws and the ways that people found to get around them.

*WARNING there is discussion of abortion and death in this episode which some listeners might find upsetting*

Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Sophie Gee.

Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.