A CHAPTER FOR MARRIED PEOPLE 557 



Results of This Unnatural Crime. —It is the 

 universal testimony of physicians that the effects of 

 abortion are ahnost as deadly upon the mother as upon 

 the child. The amount of suffering is vastly greater; 

 for that of the child, if it suffer at all, is only momen- 

 tary, in general, while the mother is doomed to a life 

 of suffering, of misery, if she survives the shock of 

 the terrible outrage "against her nature. It has been 

 proved by statistics that the danger of immediate death 

 is fifteen times as great as in natural childbirth. A 

 medical author of note asserts that a woman suffers 

 more injury from one abortion than she would from 

 twenty normal births. Says an eminent physician on 

 this point: 



"We know that the popular idea is that women are 

 worn out by the toil and wear connected with the rais- 

 ing of large families, and we can willingly concede 

 something to this statement; but it is certainly far 

 more observable that the eiforts at the present day 

 made to avoid propagation, are ten thousandfold more 

 disastrous to the health and constitution, to say noth- 

 ing of the demoralization of mind and heart, which 

 cannot be estimated by red cheeks or physical vigor." 



But suppose the mother does not succeed in her 

 attempts against the life of her child, as she may not; 

 what fearful results may follow ! A'\^io can doubt that 

 the murderous intent of the mother will be stamped 

 indelibly upon the character of the unwelcome child, 

 giving it a natural propensity for the commission of 

 murderous deeds? 



Then again,— sickening thought,— suppose the at- 

 tempts to destroy the child are unsuccessful, resulting 

 only in horrid mutilation of its tender form ; when such 

 a child is born, what terrible evidences may it bear in 



