Review of Sarah Lirley McCune, “The Ultimate Death of Annie Roberts in the Late 19th Century,” Missouri Historical Review, Volume 111, Issue 3 (April 2017): 189-200.
By Vivian King and Olivia Hoeper
For many years, abortions have been a topic of debate among humans. The laws surrounding this procedure have varied. In the state of Missouri, until the judgment of Roe V. Wade, abortion was mostly illegal. In the case of Annie Roberts, her death presents thought-provoking ideas on abortion law and the experience of a woman in 1870s Missouri. As an Assistant Professor of History at Columbia College in Missouri, Dr. Sarah Lirley McCune focuses her research on the history of women, gender, and death. She specializes in this field, per her Ph.D., which she earned from the University of Missouri, as well as having a Graduate Minor in Women and Gender Studies.[1] She focuses on how Annie Roberts’s Case attempted to bridge the gap between abortion law and the practice of abortion. With her expertise in this genre, Dr. McCune was the perfect person to give a voice to Annie Roberts’s story.
The author begins with the life of Annie Roberts and what led her to the point of acquiring an abortion. During this time, laws in Missouri made it nearly impossible for a woman to get an abortion. Practitioners could be arrested and jailed, as happened to Stapp, and sometimes even women could be arrested for such crimes. This, at times, was more uncommon because of the high death rates due to this practice. However, Missouri law enforcement focused mostly on creating a malpractice suit against doctors who had performed abortions on women who had died.
Much of what is written focuses on the roles of Dr. William Stapp and Dr. Stephen Metcalf, who helped her procure this abortion. She sought out an abortion due to an unwanted pregnancy from a hidden entanglement with a St. Louis police officer. Whilst having a separate love affair with the father of her previous child and currently being engaged to third man, who knew nothing of her involvements. Finding herself in a tangled love triangle, and already having a 3-year-old daughter, Annie turned to abortion to conceal her pregnancy and eliminate complications in her life. In the fourth month of her pregnancy, Roberts consulted with Dr. Metcalf and Dr. Stapp about abortion options. After trying to terminate her pregnancy through supplements with no results, Roberts turned to surgical abortion. Despite their medical qualifications, Robert’s procedure did not go as planned, and her health rapidly declined in the days following, leading to her death. After her death, she was seen as a victim of Stapp and Metcalf’s evil pursuit for money. The doctors, on the other hand, are said to have known better and were only in it for the profit they could make.
This article is compelling not just for historians but also for many others. It shows the difficult decisions made by everyday people and looks at the consequences of their actions. It also shows the complicated history behind abortion and the laws surrounding it. This article is a great example of humanizing those seeking abortions and showing the real circumstances they are subject to. Annie’s story is still as relevant today as it was in 1878, because Missouri law today is causing residents to consider some of the same questions that were raised in the 19th century.
[1] Lirley, S. (2019). The Collective for Radical Death Studies. The Collective for Radical Death Studies. https://www.radicaldeathstudies.com/dr-sarah-lirley