I confess, I've never followed the story of Jack the Ripper closely, but like most, I knew that it involved a mystery killer and dead prostitutes. Even so, I never expected this:
A British newspaper features a new story that has the head of a UK pro-life group suggesting that the infamous Jack the Ripper may have been a prominent abortion practitioner in London.
“New evidence has emerged which may identify an abortionist as Jack the Ripper, the notorious serial killer of women in Victorian London,” says John Smeaton of SPUC. “A knife and samples of uterine tissue belonging to Sir John Williams, a famous surgeon who performed abortions, have been discovered by one of his relatives. Sir John was recorded to have had performed an abortion on one of the Ripper’s victims.”
Well, it's no surprise that those who traffic in prostitution and abortion will have other skewed ideas about the dignity of women and the value of human life. There may also be the twist of envy, which may have resulted from the fact that "Jack's" wife was barren. We'll see where this theory leads, but it all makes sense. I'm impressed that the man's descendant had no trouble being honest about these leads, as despicable as they are. One cannot take responsibility for one's ancestors, and knowing the dark side of the family tree should only intensify our prayers for the dead.
[There is an added wrinkle in that the doctor was Queen Victoria's surgeon. I have repeatedly expressed my antipathy for that woman, but must stress that this does not have a bearing on her. It's just an unfortunate coincidence. That said, I've discovered an excellent profile of her son, Edward VII, which seems to lay out her maternal deficiencies rather well. Not her fault, entirely, but toxic nonetheless.]
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