[Sharon]

In 1963, domestic violence prompted Gerri Santoro to leave her husband Sam, and she and her daughters returned to her childhood home. She took a job at Mansfield State Training School, where she met another employee, Clyde Dixon. The two began an extramarital affair — Dixon was also married — and Santoro became pregnant as a result.

When Sam Santoro announced he was coming from California to visit his daughters, Gerri Santoro feared for her life. On June 8, 1964, six-and-a-half months into her pregnancy, she and Dixon checked into a motel in Norwich, Connecticut, under aliases. Their intent was to perform a self-induced abortion, using surgical instruments and a textbook, which Dixon had obtained from a co-worker at the Mansfield school. However, when Santoro began to hemorrhage, Dixon fled the motel. She died, at age 28, and her body was found the following morning by a maid.

Dixon was apprehended three days later. He was charged with manslaughter and "conspiracy to commit abortion" and sentenced to a year-and-a-day in prison. Police officers who worked on the case called this term "negligible".

The famous photograph below is of Gerri Santoro's body taken by the police.

Police took a photograph of Santoro's body as it was found: naked, kneeling, collapsed upon the floor, with a bloody towel between her legs. This picture was published in Ms. magazine in April 1973. It has since become a pro-choice symbol, used to illustrate that access to legal, professionally-performed abortion reduces deaths from unsafe abortion.

[Airbornemama]

That is sooooo completely sad that she felt the need to do that to herself out of fear!! What A complete COWARD her so called lover was to just abandon her to die!!!

[Pelle]

All prepared for some buttfuck!

[Shawna]

What the hell was wrong with her to allow this to even happen.

[p4irs]

awkward position, Gerri

[collaredgirl65]

No matter what your personal convictions about abortion are, this is a powerful reason to let it be performed legally and safely.

[Sharon]

Originally Posted by collaredgirl65 ↗

No matter what your personal convictions about abortion are, this is a powerful reason to let it be performed legally and safely.

You're absolutely right there

[carkees]

I'm all for life, but if you can't have an abortion legally, it can damage more lives than 1.

[mrm1109]

Idk, if ur dumb enough to go threw an illegal abortion and die...I don't feel bad. That's one less dumbass on the planet as I see it..

[LadyNightmare]

It is sad that so many women died back then trying to get an abortion. This is a good example for the pro-choice folks, and I agree. If a woman wants one she will get it anyway she can, better to let her do it safely than to have her die on the street.

But, if I feared someone so much that I would kill my baby, I think I would kill HIM instead!