Madame Restell: the abortionist who shocked and fascinated 19th-century New York

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HistoryExtra

History

4.3 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2023

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the 19th century, one businesswoman shocked, horrified and fascinated New York society more than any other. Madame Restell was a celebrity and self-made millionaire known for her diamonds and love of oyster breakfasts. How did she make this fortune? By selling birth control pills and abortions from her Fifth Avenue Brownstone boarding house. Jennifer Wright tells Ellie Cawthorne about what Restell’s story can reveal about attitudes towards abortion, motherhood and the role of women in American society at the time. (Ad) Jennifer Wright is the author of Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York’s Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist (Hachette, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMadame-Restell-Resurrection-Fabulous-Abortionist%2Fdp%2F0306826798 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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0:32.3	Welcome to the History Extra podcast.
0:35.7	Fascinating historical conversations from BBC History Magazine and BBC
0:40.6	History Revealed.
0:46.0	In the 19th century, one businesswoman shocked, appalled and fascinated New York society more than any other.
0:58.1	Madam Ristell was a celebrity and self-made millionaire known for her diamonds and her love of
1:04.8	oyster breakfasts. But how exactly did she make this fortune? By selling birth control pills and offering abortions from her
1:15.0	5th Avenue Brownstone boarding house. Historical writer Jennifer Wright is the author of a new biography of
1:22.6	Ristel and as she told me, it's a story that reveals a lot about the complex and divided attitudes towards abortion, motherhood and the roles of women in American society at the time.
1:34.7	So your book is a biography of a 19th century abortionist who was known as Madame Ristel, who operated in New York.
1:43.4	And I think it's fair to say that she led a pretty
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