The Angel of Ashland: Practicing Compassion and Tempting Fate
The Angel of Ashland: Practicing Compassion and Tempting Fate The Angel of Ashland: Practicing Compassion and Tempting Fate The Angel of Ashland: Practicing Compassion and Tempting Fate The Angel of Ashland: Practicing Compassion and Tempting Fate. For over fifty years Dr. Robert Spencer (1889-1969) practiced medicine in the small coal-mining town of Ashland, PA. As the only town doctor, he was known by everyone as a dedicated medical professional who spent long hours at his clinic, charged a modest fee for his services, never turned anyone away who couldn't pay, and was the person the townspeople turned to with their many ailments and injuries. But he also gained another kind of notoriety as well, about which there was generally a discreet silence in the town: he would willingly perform safe and reliable abortions. Women in trouble could consult him without shame or fear, and he would perform the procedure quickly and efficiently with no questions asked. This was unique in the e...