Sarah Grosvenor

Sarah Grosvenor ( – September 14, 1742) was the subject of a colonial court hearing after an unsuccessful abortion resulted in her death. After a seemingly successful surgical abortion performed by Dr. John Hallowell, Grosvenor became sick.

She died on September 14, 1742, in her hometown of Pomfret, Connecticut, after surgical complications.

Pregnancy and termination Grosvenor became pregnant from sex with Amasa. After coercion, she eventually began "taking the trade", an abortifacient, in an attempt to abort the fetus. Abortifacients were common in colonial America and were considered an acceptable method of aborting a fetus in the early stages of pregnancy. Only when quickening occurred did it become unacceptable for a mother to abort the fetus, as this was when both the court and the church identified a fetus as a living individual. Some argue that Grosvenor primarily attempted to abort the fetus due to Amasa's lack of interest in her as a potential bride. The abortifacient did not succeed, so Amasa enlisted Dr. John Hallowell to perform a surgical abortion. Two days later, Grosvenor had a miscarriage. Ten days after the operation, she became sick and died, most likely from infection due to the use of dirty tools in an unsanitary environment.