from a botched abortion and wearing a signs saying "Doctor Larch -- Shit or get off the pot" (Irving, p. 60). The young woman dies as had her mother, and Larch learns the tricks of abortion from the elderly woman known as "Mrs. Santa Claus" who botched the abortion of the daughter.
Larch's reflections on his involvement with Mrs. Eames and her daughter is of seminal importance in shaping his decision to perform abortions on demand. He
had slept with someone's mother and dressed himself in the light of her daughter's cigar. He could quite comfortably
abstain from having ex for the rest of his life, but how could he ever condemn another person for having sex (Irving, p. 61)?
...