Madam Moristel: A Struggle for Survival

This chapter explores the life of Anne Trow, later known as Madam Moristel, a 19th-century woman navigating poverty and societal challenges in New York City's Five Points. It highlights her resourcefulness in the face of adversity, including her dangerous entanglement with reproductive care and abortion during an era of limited rights for women. The narrative delves into the moral complexities of her actions and the historical context of women's reproductive rights, revealing the desperate circumstances that drove her to provide essential but risky services.