Lorraine Florio

Abstract

My name is Lorraine Florio. I’m presently 71 years old. I was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. My parents were French and Italian. I grew up middle class and graduated from a Catholic grammar school and a Catholic high school, and attended two years of business college. After that I worked part-time for a doctor for a number of years in the Lawrence area and traveled back and forth to Lowell. I got married. I had one son. My marriage was sort of an arranged type of situation. My husband was 40 years older than me and it wasn’t a successful marriage. I left him, and as opposed to living by myself in an apartment with a young baby, I offered to live with my parents. So my activity was a bit controlled. It was good for my son to be in a family situation growing up and my parents were very good to him.

Lorraine Florio was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1932 and lived for many years in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She has one son and currently lives north of Boston. From approximately 1962–1967 she performed several thousand abortions, traveling as far away as Maine and Canada. In 1971, she was arrested in a drug sweep afer narcotics agents saw her car being used on drug runs. Though she protested her innocence, she sought a plea bargain rather than face a jury who she feared would look at her as an immoral abortionist. She was sentenced to three years in prison and was paroled afer one year. In the years since, she has worked in a factory, at a country club, and as a barmaid. She currently works as a bookkeeper.

Lorraine Florio was interviewed by David Cline on June 13, 2004.