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THE TRIAL OF EMILY STOWE
Theatre
Playwright
In development with support from the Ontario Arts Council
Length: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Roles: 3 women, 1 man
Emily Stowe is notoriously known as one of the first Canadians to be put on trial for performing an abortion in the mid-1800s. Since it wasn’t until 1903 that women could legally practice medicine in Canada, Stowe treated patients in secret for most of her career. Her reputation was widely known as one of the few doctors willing to perform abortions – though they were illegal. In 1879, she was put on trial after her patient was found dead and it was discovered she had had an abortion. The trial quickly moved from whether abortion was the cause of death to focus on the fact that Stowe performed an abortion at all. The Trial of Emily Stowe depicts one of the most famous Canadian abortion cases in history, as Stowe fights for her life and freedom.
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