Carol Downer, a leader in the feminist women’s health movement who gained national fame for her involvement in a case known as the Great Yogurt Conspiracy — where she was accused of practicing medicine without a license for providing yogurt to treat a yeast infection — passed away on Jan. 13 in Glendale, Calif. She was 91.
Her passing, at a hospital, was confirmed by her daughter Angela Booth, who mentioned that she had suffered a heart attack a few weeks prior.
Ms. Downer, a self-described housewife and mother of six in the late 1960s, became involved in the women’s movement and started working on the abortion committee of her local chapter of the National Organization for Women. Having experienced an illegal abortion years earlier, she was determined to ensure others did not face the same hardships.
A psychologist named Harvey Karman had developed a technique for performing abortions using suction on the uterus lining, which was safer, quicker, and less painful than traditional methods. Ms. Downer, along with others, believed that this technique could be practiced without medical expertise and learned to perform it themselves.
To be continued…