The Disquieting Death of Emma Gill
Abortion, Death, and Concealment in Victorian New England

I was expecting more of a social commentary on abortion rights (especially considering the Roe v Wade repel) and more about the lives of the women, who were forced to get these illegal abortions. I was a bit surprised at the angle of following the abortionists. It made it more of a true crime read t......more

The Disquieting Death of Emma Gill is, alas, a book made even more relevant thanks to the backward slide in which America is currently engaged. While the book’s title character Emma Gill meets her death at the hands of Nancy Guilford, the majority of the book fleshes out Nancy and Henry’s lives, and......more

Reading Marcia Biederman's book, "The Disquieting Death of Emma Gill" was like watching a fast-paced crime drama unfold on the written pages. Her skillful interweaving of the story of desperate women with no good options in Victorian New England and the criminal practitioners who offered a last-ditc......more

An interesting true crime read, about two 19th-century abortionists run from the law and the repercussions of a patient’s brutal death. We follow Henry and Nancy Guilford, a pair of unlicensed “doctors” who become some of the most notorious abortion providers across New England. Neither Henry or Nanc......more

Emma Gill died after seeking an abortion from Dr. Nancy Guilford in 1898. Emma found herself in a sexual relationship with a man above her social class. The pair wanted to terminate the pregnancy. Unfortunately, as abortion was illegal in the United States, they traveled around to find someone willi......more