Abortion in the Age of Concealment

The skillful biographer Marcia Biederman, working in various archives, has assembled a well-wrought narrative, and the result is the creation of a criminal who also became a heroine. ‘The Disquieting Death of Emma Gill: Abortion, Death, and Concealment in Victorian New England’ By Marcia Biederman Chicago Review Press, 256 pages Women had a lot to conceal in late 19th century America. If a young unmarried woman became pregnant, she risked bringing shame to her family, and also possibly losing that family’s love. Some women had the facts of life concealed...