Unless they murdered millions of their own children every year, the Medieval period was not as violent as our own.
Abortion was much more common in the middle ages than most people know. A number of common plants act as abortifacients; the herb pennyroyal, for example.
Roman women used a half lemon, partially squeezed out, as an ancient equivalent of the “morning after pill”. It was inserted cut-face first into the vagina and maneuvered over the cervix; apparently this was quite effective in preventing pregnancy.