Ruth Barnett was an abortion provider operating in Portland, Oregon, from 1918 to 1968. She was born in Hood River, Oregon, in 1895. In 1910, she moved with her family to Portland, Oregon, where she became pregnant at the age of sixteen. She sought an abortion from Dr. George Watts, which convinced her that all women should have the opportunity to receive an abortion if they wanted one. When she was 23, Barnett decided to become an abortion provider, turning to Dr. Alys Bixby Griff for training. Eventually she partnered with Dr. Watts, who taught her how to perform complex procedures and helped her get a medical license as a chiropractor. She was first arrested in 1940 after a complication arose with a client at a clinic in Reno, Nevada. After this incident, Barnett was in prison intermittently, continuing to perform abortions. She performed an estimated 40,000 abortions and claimed no maternal deaths. In 1966, a Portland jury found her guilty of an unrelated manslaughter, while an Oregon City jury found her guilty of abortion in 1967. Her appeal of both verdicts was rejected by the Supreme Court in 1967, and she went to prison in February 1968. After this conviction she decided to retire. Barnett co-authored an autobiography, They Weep on My Doorstep. Early life Ruth Hanna was born in 1895 in Hood River, Oregon. She was the youngest of three children born to Margaret Belle Hanna and James Ellsworth Hanna. In 1910, Barnett moved with her family to Portland, Oregon. There her father became the first grocer in the village, and Ruth got a job as a dental assistant. In 1911, at the age of 16, Ruth became pregnant. Unsure what to do, she was referred to Dr. George Watts by a patient in her dental clinic. Dr. Watts, a respected physician in the area, performed an abortion on Ruth, and the experience profoundly changed her life. Saved from the shame of bearing an illegitimate child, she came out of the procedure with a conviction that anyone who wanted an abortion ought to be able to receive one. Two years later, Ruth married Henry Cohen at eighteen years old. Their marriage was largely unhappy and lasted only five years, but resulted in the birth of Ruth's daughter, Maggie. Through this marriage, Ruth met and befriended Dr. Alys Bixby Griff. Griff was one of the first female physicians in