Medieval Catholics may have held more progressive views towards abortion than some people today. St. Hildegard von Bingen was a German nun who, among other procedures, conducted medicinal abortions using various herbs and plants. While abortion was still seen as a sin, she and several other medieval Catholic women were sympathetic; with the significant risks of childbirth at the time, these nuns saw abortion as acceptable as it would preserve the mothers’ health and well-being, possibly saving her life. Read full article here
