The Philadelphia Story: Another Experiment on Women

This collection consists of a 5 page typed report published by The Philadelphia Women’s Health Collective and Friends in 1972. In this document, The Philadelphia Women’s Health Collective and Friends begin with a story detailing how twenty Black and low-income women were transported from Chicago to Philadelphia in order to recieve experimental abortions on May 13th, 1972 (before Roe v. Wade legalized abortion throughout the United States). Administered by Harvey Karman, these abortions used a new “super-coil” technique, which resulted in various medical complications. In this call to action, The Philadelphia Women’s Health Collective and Friends advocate for increased education around women’s health, new abortion and contraceptive techniques, and revised medical standards in order for women to seize control of their own bodies.