The Jordmor

Meet Ingeborg Andreas Blundell: Bay Ridge's midwife, nurse, and abortionist for over a half-century. Practicing from the 1910's through to the 1960's, Ingeborg was a Jordmor: a Norwegian midwife. Operating out of her apartment on 92nd street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, she oversaw a private clinic for women's reproductive health: delivering babies, caring for mothers, and, illegally providing abortions. Her story has been lost to history, until today. Join Rachel as she interviews co-host Dan about his never-before-revealed research into the hidden history of reproductive rights in Bay Ridge, spanning over a hundred years. Along the way we'll reveal how an entire apartment of working-class Bay Ridgeites defended an immigrant healthcare provider in court. We will discuss how the Norwegian feminist movement and radical Communist healthcare providers educated a trailblazing midwife. And we'll discuss tragedy, tribulation, and hope in the face of an increasingly chauvinist legal and medical establishment. It's a story about how, in defiance of the law, women's reproductive rights has always been a key component of Bay Ridge's identity. Content Warning: This episode features in-depth discussions of abortion, as well as references to maternal mortality, pregnancy complications, and infant mortality. ---- Check out the show notes for background info and bonus material Be sure to

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The Jordmor is an episode from Radio Free Bay Ridge by Radio Free Bay Ridge.

This episode is 58:58 long.

This episode was published on Oct 26, 2024.

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