After world war two, there was a shift. Men returned home and went back to work. Many women who'd been working stopped working. A record number of babies were born. This is called pronatalism, the idea that everyone should have children. Families were having three and four children in quick succession. Birth control wasn't easy to get. Abstinence was encouraged. In order to get a safe abortion, some pregnant women would go to a psychiatrist and sa they were going to kill themselves. The handbook even circulated to teach women how to fake a suicide attempt. And if they were convincing enough, a psychiatrist might refer them for an abortion. Illegal abortions increased, and so did