Sherri Chessen
Swedish abortion
Swedish abortion
----------------

Chessen attempted to go to Japan to obtain an abortion, but was denied a visa by the Japanese Consul.(5 August 1962\) (AP Story).[U.S. Mother Seeks Aid From Sweden](https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0E14FF3D58107B93C7A91783D85F468685F9&scp=29&sq=finkbine&st=p), *[The New York Times](/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times")*, Retrieved November 16, 2010[Humboldt\-Universität zu Berlin](http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/GESUND/ARCHIV/SEN/CH05.HTM)  She and her husband then flew to [Sweden](/wiki/Sweden "Sweden"), where she obtained a successful and legal abortion, which caused a minor controversy. The abortion panel of the [Royal Swedish Medical Board](/wiki/Royal_Swedish_Medical_Board "Royal Swedish Medical Board") granted Chessen's request for an abortion on August 17, 1962, to safeguard her mental health.Wiskari, Werner (18 August 1962\). [Sweden Accedes To Abortion Plea](https://www.nytimes.com/1962/08/18/archives/sweden-accedes-to-abortion-plea-board-cites-mental-health-needs-of.html?sq=finkbine&scp=37&st=p), *[The New York Times](/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times")*, Retrieved November 16, 2010 The operation was performed the following day.\<ref name\=finkbine\>(19 August 1962\) [Mrs. Finkbine Undergoes Abortion In Sweden](https://www.nytimes.com/1962/08/19/archives/mrs-finkbine-undergoes-abortion-in-sweden-surgeon-asserts-unborn.html?sq=finkbine&scp=40&st=p), *[New York Times](/wiki/New_York_Times "New York Times") ("The 30 year old mother of four healthy children was informed after the operation that the fetus was deformed, as she had feared.")\</ref\>*

The Swedish obstetrician who performed the abortion told Chessen that the fetus had no legs and only one arm and would not have survived. The doctor stated that the fetus was too badly deformed to identify gender. In 1965, Chessen had another baby, a healthy girl.(1 February 1965\)[Mrs. Finkbine Gives Birth To Fifth Child in Arizona](https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0911F73854177A93C3A91789D85F418685F9&scp=55&sq=finkbine&st=p), *[The New York Times](/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times")*, Retrieved November 16, 2010
Impact
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The termination of Chessen’s pregnancy is seen now as a pivotal event in the history of [abortion rights in the United States](/wiki/Abortion_in_the_United_States "Abortion in the United States"). According to history professor [Mary Frances Berry](/wiki/Mary_Frances_Berry "Mary Frances Berry"), her story "helped change public opinion \[on abortion]. Fifty\-two percent of respondents in a Gallup poll thought she had done the right thing." By 1965, Berry continues, "most Americans, 77 percent, wanted abortion legalized 'where the health of the mother is in danger'"; in that same year, The New York Times'' called for reform of [abortion laws](/wiki/Abortion_law "Abortion law"). [Planned Parenthood](/wiki/Planned_Parenthood "Planned Parenthood") wrote that Chessen was able to afford to go overseas to have the abortion, but many other women seeking to terminate unwanted pregnancies would turn to [illegal abortions](/wiki/Illegal_abortion "Illegal abortion").

[Lee Epstein](/wiki/Lee_Epstein "Lee Epstein"), a professor of law and political science, wrote that "Finkbine’s situation evoked sympathetic reactions from various organizations and, in essence, led to the creation of an American abortion reform movement."["The Impact of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project", 1981](https://web.archive.org/web/20060904003250/http://epstein.law.northwestern.edu/research/conferencepapers.1981MPSA.pdf)


Why was it difficult for women to get abortions in the US during this time period?