MacLauchlan served his time in
Lethbridge Provincial Jail. Upon his release he came to British Columbia and,
as we have reported before, by 1955 he was receiving his mail at 660 Howe
Street in Vancouver but living with Margaret Anne “Nan” Cunningham at 912 5th
Street in New Westminster. Police at the time suspected he might have been
performing abortions in Vancouver. In our search for more information on both
MacLauchlan and Cunningham (who later became MacLauchlan’s wife following their
arrest for trafficking in narcotics in December 1965), we have received a few
tips from New Westminster residents (including former neighbours) and
elsewhere.
Now – and this may be Mission Impossible
given the very nature of the procedures and the length of time that has elapsed
since they were carried out – we would like to hear from some of MacLauchlan’s
former patients.
Although it is hard to quantify the numbers
before abortion became legal in Canada in the early 1970s, speaking very
approximately the abortion rate since then has tended on average, to be about 15
per 1000 for women aged 15-44. (Source Abortion statistics and other data--Johnston`s
Archive at http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/ab-canada.html).
However, given the social and religious stigmas attaching to abortion
previous to its legalization, it may be possible to safely assume that the rate
was perhaps only 1/10 of that figure before the early 1970s. Some calculations
are in order: The female population of Canada in 1951 aged 15 to 44 was 22% of
the total population. The Alberta population was 940,000 in 1951. If the age and
gender breakdown of the Albertan population was similar to that of the Canadian
population as a whole, this means that there were approximately 207,000 women
aged 15 to 44 in Alberta. Taking Johnston’s ratio (that the abortion rate was
15 per thousand) and plugging it into 207,000 gives us 3100 abortions in
Alberta in the early 1970s.
If we return to our starting point -- that abortion rates (i.e. illegal
abortions – the only kind possible during MacLauchlan’s era of operation) were
1/10 of the early 1970s figure -- then that may mean there were about 300 abortions
annually in Alberta in the 1950s. Since the Pecover sisters have told the
authors that every week there were a few girls (let us assume two or three) sneaking
up to MacLauchlan’s house, this would put his potential abortion total at about
100 per year.
The point of all this calculation is to suggest that there may have
been a sufficient number of abortions performed in the 1950s in Alberta that
there are women still living who were among those seeking that service from
MacLauchlan. However, even if that is not the case, there may still be other
people – i.e. husbands, fathers, boyfriends, mothers, brothers, sisters – who are
aware of these women and their situations. There may be family memories of such
events.
And here’s
the kicker:
we would like to hear of such stories. Not for the names but more for
what their teller may remember of Dr MacLauchlan himself – or have heard tell
of him. Remember: our valued correspondent, Albertan author Jack Pecover, who
knew MacLauchlan personally (though not well), says the consensus of Calgary neighbourhood
opinion was that the doctor was fulfilling a valuable community service. If at
all possible, we want to know all sides of this rather enigmatic man. We would
welcome stories or comments, and all submissions will remain confidential
unless the sender desires otherwise. Please use our contact information on the
home page of this website.
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