Schwartz, a pioneering doctor, dies at 73

Schwartz was a nationally recognized physician and one of the first visible proponents of the abortion-rights movement in New York. Her stance--and her decision to perform abortions--made her a frequent target of protesters. She was listed in the controversial Nuremberg Files, an Internet list containing personal information about abortion providers that noted whether they were working, wounded, or dead.

But Schwartz was not deterred, and she continued to perform abortions after many had stopped.

"If I get shot, so what?" she told a reporter in 1994 after two women were killed at a Massachusetts abortion clinic.

"Right back to the Roe v. Wade era, she was one of the first physicians to really work on behalf of women who wish to have a choice about their pregnancies in terms of the pregnancy outcome," said David Guzick, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "It was very important work on a statewide level."

"She was very steadfast in her belief of the rights of the woman to decide what was right for her body," added her son, David, a physician in St. Louis.

Schwartz also will be remembered as a trailblazer for female obstetricians and gynecologists, entering the field at a time when it was overwhelmingly male-dominated. The Wisconsin native graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin­Madison and Wisconsin's School of Medicine. She moved to Rochester in 1950.

In addition to her SMD position, which she retired from last year, she had been a member of the clinical staff at the Genesee Hospital. There, she served as interim chief of obstetrics and gynecology and was a founder of the Woman's Obstetrics and Gynecology Group.

Other than her son, David, Schwartz is survived by her husband, Seymour '57M (Res), an SMD distinguished alumni professor of surgery; sons Richard of Columbus, Ohio, and Kenneth of Charlottesville, Va.; a sister, Marion Markman of New London, Wis.; and five grandchildren. Donations may be made to the Ruth Schwartz Fund for Menopause Research and Patient Care at Strong Memorial Hospital.

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