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Kenneth Carlton Edelin (March 31, 1939 – December 30, 2013) was an American physician known for his support for abortion rights and his advocacy for indigent patients' rights to healthcare. He was born in Washington, D.C., and died in Sarasota, Florida.
The first black chief resident in obstetrics and gynecology at Boston City Hospital, Edelin was convicted in 1975 of manslaughter after performing a legal, elective abortion there. This followed the legalization of abortion nationwide after the US Supreme Court issued its ruling in Roe v. Wade that year.
Edelin was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Newman A. Flanagan. Edelin appealed the conviction and was formally acquitted in 1976 in the landmark case by a unanimous vote of the 6-person State Supreme Court.
He served as a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston University, and as its chair from 1979-1989. He had additional academic and community appointments, serving as an advocate for women's health for all classes. For three years, he was President of Planned Parenthood.
In 2008, Edelin received the "Maggie" Award, highest honor of the Planned Parenthood Federation, in tribute to their founder, Margaret Sanger.