the story of jane the legendary underground abortion service

“The septic abortion ward was full every day,” and the Jane Collective was one of the only services that could combat a growing epidemic. Women would pay hundreds, and sometimes over a thousand dollars, only to find themselves on the beds of seedy hotels, undergoing unclean procedures in the middle of nowhere. Illegal abortions, while more accessible, were often extremely dangerous. To receive a legal abortion, one had to appeal to a hospital’s board of directors, who sometimes, even in life or death situations, denied the request. Because it was illegal, research scholars have never been able to pin down the exact number of pregnancies that ended in abortion at that time, but the estimation is 25 percent.

The Janes documentary exposed that oftentimes those who needed abortions were the mistresses, secretaries, and daughters of the men who defended laws against it (policemen, judges, and powerful men within the government). In the 1960s and 1970s, legal abortion wasn’t an option for most women, even those with dire medical conditions. While members of the collective initially served as liaisons between clients and service providers, they were eventually trained to practice safe abortions and were able to provide services at a lower cost. There was an ad-“Pregnant? Call Jane”-posted wherever women were known to gather, and a number in the phone book matching the pseudonym. Similar to all underground operations, the neighbors knew. At the time, the group’s survival depended on being underground, and while members are now in their 70s, many were never public figures. The Janes were a group of women activists in Chicago who provided safe but illegal abortions from the late 1960s until the passing of 1973’s Roe v. Read on to find out more about the real-life Janes, their impact on reproductive rights, and the current struggle to uphold their wins. Whether one considers themselves pro-choice or pro-life, this documentary aims to highlight one unavoidable reality: Legal or not, abortion has always happened and always will. Amid a pandemic, school shootings, possible recession, and civil unrest, The Janes reminds us of another issue our nation cannot forget-a quiet but vital battle against the return to a society where women’s reproductive rights are invalidated and criminalized. Directed by Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes, the film reveals the stories of a group of women activists in Chicago who provided safe but illegal abortions until the passing of 1973’s Roe v. The Janes documentary premiered on June 8 on HBO Max.

The story of jane the legendary underground abortion service