Reproductive rights in America are constantly changing. But how did we get here? Historical context can help us understand our current moment and even possible futures. Becker Library’s Archives and Rare Books division has a variety of historic materials that shed light on the history of reproductive rights at Washington University and in St. Louis.
At Becker Archives and Rare Books, we hold archival and rare book collections that document the history of Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM), its affiliated hospitals, and the people who studied and worked here. We hold the institutional memory of the medical school, and like any other American institution, the history of the medical school is part of the history of reproductive rights in America.
Here are some of the highlights from our collections documenting the history of reproductive health and the fight for reproductive rights at Washington University School of Medicine and in St. Louis.
A Landmark Publication on Abortion Written by a WashU Ob/Gyn
Abortions, Spontaneous and Induced: Medical and Social Aspects, published in 1936, was the only comprehensive reference work on abortion in America for decades. In it, Frederick J. Taussig, MD estimated for the first time the number of induced abortions in the United States. Extrapolating from several regional surveys, he put the number at 681,600.
Taussig graduated in 1898 from St. Louis Medical College, a forerunner of Washington University School of Medicine. He was a longtime professor of gynecology at WUSM, and a recognized expert on abortion.
An Oral History by a Founder of the First Contraceptive Clinic in St. Louis
“It [Maternal Health Association of Missouri] was set up to serve the whole city of St. Louis and the first clinic that was opened was in a flat on the second floor on Euclid [Avenue], right near McPherson [Avenue]. They had three rooms.
“The patients were accepted only on a referral basis from the social agency or a physician, and they must be white, married women. Later on, they conferred with the Urban League and some other social agency and decided they would accept Black women. But everybody had to be married. It was some years before they began to accept unmarried women.”
– Frances Stewart, in the Frances Stewart Oral History collection, 1977.
In this 1977 oral history, Frances Stewart, MD discussed some of her experiences with the Maternal Health Association of Missouri, the first contraceptive clinic in St. Louis, founded in 1933. Stewart was one of the founders of the clinic, along with fellow WashU physicians Frederick Taussig, Robert Crossen, and Lesley Patton. The clinic affiliated with Planned Parenthood in 1943.
Stewart (center in sidebar photo), graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in 1927. She served as an assistant and then as an instructor in obstetrics and gynecology at the medical school. She practiced as an Ob/Gyn in St. Louis for more than 50 years.
An Editorial in Favor of Legalizing Abortion, Co-Written by a WashU Ob/Gyn.
Melvin Schwartz, MD, wrote this editorial with another medical colleague in 1966 after becoming enraged at the hypocritical and unjust nature of abortion laws and practice in Missouri. At the time he wrote the editorial, Schwartz was an associate editor of the St. Louis County Medical Society Bulletin. He later became the president of the society.
Schwartz did his internship and residency at Jewish Hospital. He joined the staff of Washington University School of Medicine in 1956 and later became an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology.
A Brochure for an Organization that Assisted People Seeking Abortion Care
In 1965, John D. Vavra, MD, a professor at Washington University School of Medicine and Rev. James W. Ewing, director of the United Christian Campus Ministry at WashU, collaborated to form an underground alliance to support students seeking abortions. At the time, even providing information about abortion was a felony under Missouri law.
The two-person system that Ewing and Vavra set up later grew to become Clergy Consultation Service of Missouri. In 1970, the service began providing free information and counseling to people across Missouri who had “problems or undesired pregnancies.” The service’s name later changed to Pregnancy Consultation Service.
Ewing, a United Church of Christ pastor, became the director of the United Christian Campus Ministry at WashU in 1958. His role primarily included engaging with students, and he became associate director of student activities in 1965.
A Thank You Note to a WashU Physician
This letter was written to Vavra in 1969 by someone close to a woman named Debby, who Vavra likely helped obtain an abortion the year prior.
The letter reads:
“Dear Dr. Vavra,
“Debby graduated this June from Tufts University and is now in New York looking for a job, and living with her brother there until she finds one. She had a strong senior year, and was on the Dean’s list when she graduated. Emotionally, I would say she is in good shape, better than many and as good as most young people. It isn’t an easy time for the involved young, but then it isn’t an easy time for the involved not-so-young either.
“We cannot see that Debby’s experience last summer has damaged her. It took awhile [sic] for her to seem to believe again in her capabilities, her judgement and her ordinary good sense, but the year of living in an apartment in Cambridge with another girl, running the house, cooking, studying, being successful, seemed to help her believe in herself again. The boy involved in her story faded rapidly from the picture.
“But none of this is the way it would be for her and for us without your help. We are always very deeply grateful.
“Sincerely, [name removed]”
Vavra graduated from WUSM in 1954 and later became a professor of medicine and an assistant dean at the school. He was fondly known as “Mr. Ethics” for his interest in medical ethics and teaching the subject in his Medicine in Modern Society course.
A Training Manual for Counselors who Helped People Access Abortion Care
This manual served as training materials for counselors working with Pregnancy Consultation Service (formerly Clergy Consultation Service of Missouri).
The manual included lists of counselors and doctors affiliated with the service, information about the current state law, medical information about abortion procedures, and instructions on how to obtain abortions out of state.
An Article Reporting a WashU Ob/Gyn Planned to Open a Legal Abortion Clinic
This article reports that Michael Freiman, MD, was already “investigating the possibility of openly establishing an abortion clinic” in St. Louis just a few days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade.
Freiman and others reorganized Pregnancy Consultation Service in order to begin providing abortions. The clinic, renamed the Reproductive Health Service, opened for service less than five months later on May 23, 1973 at 100 North Euclid Avenue in the Central West End.
Freiman (right in sidebar photo), a 1955 graduate of WUSM, worked as a clinical assistant professor in the department of Ob/Gyn at WashU. He was the de facto medical director of Reproductive Health Service when it opened in 1973.
To see these and other rare books and archival materials that highlight the history of reproductive health and the fight for reproductive rights at Washington University School of Medicine, search our catalog of rare books, search our Archives Database, or visit Archives and Rare Books on the 7th floor of Becker Library.
The materials shown here were exhibited as part of a display for Changing Landscapes: Reproductive Rights—Past, Present, Future, an interdisciplinary seminar held at Washington University School of Medicine on October 31, 2024.