Risking Their Lives

Risking Their Lives is the third book in a series recording the history of abortion in New Zealand. In the early 20th century, abortion came to be recognized not just as a crime but also as a major public health problem. In response to an embarrassingly large number of deaths from septic abortion, the government in 1936 appointed a Committee of Inquiry to investigate the issues. Risking Their Lives features previously untold stories from the coroner's reports and newspaper reports of the day. The narrative is grim, but this is an honest retelling of our past.