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The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service
The powerful story of the women who founded and ran the legendary Chicago reproductive rights organization Abortion Counseling Service, otherwise known as Jane, written by one of its members. A compelling testament to a woman's most essential freedom—control over her own body—and to the power of women helping women. • Also the subject of the acclaimed HBO documentary The Janes .
The Story of Jane recounts the evolution of the Abortion Counseling Service, code name Jane, the underground group of heroic women that provided low-cost abortion services in Chicago in the years before the procedure was legalized. Organized in 1969 and active until the opening of the first legal abortion clinics in 1973, Jane initially counseled women and referred them to abortion providers who set prices and conditions. As Jane grew, so did the group's capacity to protect its clients. Eventually, determined to reclaim women's reproductive power in any way they were able, many members of Jane learned to perform abortions themselves.
An extraordinary history by one of Jane's members, The Story of Jane is an urgent account of the organization's development, the conflicts within the group, and the impact its work had on both the women it helped and the members themselves.
The Story of Jane recounts the evolution of the Abortion Counseling Service, code name Jane, the underground group of heroic women that provided low-cost abortion services in Chicago in the years before the procedure was legalized. Organized in 1969 and active until the opening of the first legal abortion clinics in 1973, Jane initially counseled women and referred them to abortion providers who set prices and conditions. As Jane grew, so did the group's capacity to protect its clients. Eventually, determined to reclaim women's reproductive power in any way they were able, many members of Jane learned to perform abortions themselves.
An extraordinary history by one of Jane's members, The Story of Jane is an urgent account of the organization's development, the conflicts within the group, and the impact its work had on both the women it helped and the members themselves.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 13, 1996
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December 5, 2024
This book was recommended by a friend who read it and couldn't wait to share about it. I could see why. It's got everything in here - the context of how and why Jane was set up, by whom, with what resources, etc. Also included the logistical and interpersonal challenges of putting together something so critical, secretive, and scary. And I really liked how frank the author was about the racism Black women had to face (like being charged extra and lacking access to resources versus how the middle-class white women often took things for granted that Black women couldn't) and how Jane was able to overcome that as a network.
I appreciated the historical, political, and patriarchal context, and I was glad to know that not all men were Cretans back then but that many of them were supportive, ranging from staying out of the way and looking in the other direction to providing services and referrals. The best part of it all was the massive success of this enterprise that was built from the ground-up, and I don't mean only the obvious impact they had on the many women they helped, but I mean the empowerment they claimed for themselves and for all women. They took every opportunity to take control however and whenever they could get it. They expanded their knowledge and skills continuously. They found their bravery and their voices. Even as they were burning out, the mission always came first.
We are now back to a terribly repressive state of affairs in the US, and it's getting worse by the day. Maternal mortality will continue to rise as doctors become fearful of incarceration and ruination, as women seek alternative methods of help, as women's mobility becomes more restricted, etc. (Shame on the red states, and shame on MAGA for what they are doing!) And after reading this book and after reading a fictionalized version in All You Have to Do Is Call by Kerri Maher, I can't help but wonder if Jane is being resurrected now and how I can be useful to the cause.
I appreciated the historical, political, and patriarchal context, and I was glad to know that not all men were Cretans back then but that many of them were supportive, ranging from staying out of the way and looking in the other direction to providing services and referrals. The best part of it all was the massive success of this enterprise that was built from the ground-up, and I don't mean only the obvious impact they had on the many women they helped, but I mean the empowerment they claimed for themselves and for all women. They took every opportunity to take control however and whenever they could get it. They expanded their knowledge and skills continuously. They found their bravery and their voices. Even as they were burning out, the mission always came first.
We are now back to a terribly repressive state of affairs in the US, and it's getting worse by the day. Maternal mortality will continue to rise as doctors become fearful of incarceration and ruination, as women seek alternative methods of help, as women's mobility becomes more restricted, etc. (Shame on the red states, and shame on MAGA for what they are doing!) And after reading this book and after reading a fictionalized version in All You Have to Do Is Call by Kerri Maher, I can't help but wonder if Jane is being resurrected now and how I can be useful to the cause.
January 19, 2009
A study of the Chicago abortion underground in the 1960s and 70s, written by an actual member of Jane. Jane started in the 60s as a referral service. A loose collection of women referred desperate women to abortionists that had better reputations than most: less likely to require sex or to accidentally kill you. As word about Jane grew and they kept getting calls, the group became more organized. They allowed other women to join them, they split into specialized roles (although everyone rotated), and they continued to expand their services. They narrowed down their referrals to a few doctors in-state, then used doctors in NY (where abortion was partially legalized in 1970) for those who could afford the trip. Through persistent cajoling and bullying, a member of Jane got an apprenticeship with an abortionist, and trained until she was able to do the procedures herself. From then on, abortions through Jane would go something like this: a woman would call "Big Jane," who would take down their information and give it to a counselor. The counselor would call them back and arrange a face-to-face meeting, where the counselor would explain the abortion procedure step by step and ask about medical history. "Call-back-Jane" would then call the woman back with the address of the ever-shifting "Front," where thirty or forty women a day would wait for their abortion. A driver would drive them in groups of 5 to the "Place," where a member of Jane would induce a miscarriage or abortion, talking them through the procedure all the while. Near the end of Jane, as they began to be able to drop their prices and word continued to spread, they got an increasing number of poor women in bad health who had little knowledge about their bodies or how to care for them. At that point, Jane also began providing pap smears and basic gynecological care. After the passage of Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton on January 22, 1973, Jane was shut down.
"In its four-year history Jane members estimate they performed over eleven thousand abortions." During that time, they were only successfully raided once (7 members of Jane were arrested and charged, but charges were dropped after Roe v Wade). Jane was made of ordinary women: housewives, students, drop outs and a few career women. Through hard work and determination, they transformed themselves into those who could provide "service" against an immoral law. This is an incredibly inspiring book.
"In its four-year history Jane members estimate they performed over eleven thousand abortions." During that time, they were only successfully raided once (7 members of Jane were arrested and charged, but charges were dropped after Roe v Wade). Jane was made of ordinary women: housewives, students, drop outs and a few career women. Through hard work and determination, they transformed themselves into those who could provide "service" against an immoral law. This is an incredibly inspiring book.
May 31, 2021
As we perilously look into a future abyss caused by the Supreme Court overturning the reproductive rights granted to women in 1973 with Roe v. Wade I thought it important to take a trip back to a pre-Roe world and to hear the stories of the women who ran one of the largest extralegal, underground abortion clinics in the country. The Story of Jane tells this story.
Started by a few middle-class white women in Chicago in the 1960s, Jane was an organization that connected women who needed abortion with doctors who could perform those abortions. But as the organization grew, the women who ran it continued to make the organization more revolutionary: centering the needs of women as patients, counseling women about reproductive health, and, most significantly, performing abortions themselves (despite not being medically trained doctors) in order to ensure the women got the best treatment.
What Kaplan, a Jane member herself, teaches us through The Story of Jane is that women's access to safe reproductive healthcare is essential to women having access to economic and social equality. What Jane offered was one of the few places where women could safely get abortions but also where they could, for the first time, explore their own sexuality and reproductive needs. Because reproductive rights are not just about getting women abortions: they are about giving women access to the information so that they can make the most informed decisions about their own bodies and reproductive processes.
Jane, like most social organizations, had its internal conflict and tension including threats from law enforcement and each other. But The Story of Jane tells a foreboding tale of just how important legal, safe reproductive freedom is and how dark a post-Roe world without them may be.
Started by a few middle-class white women in Chicago in the 1960s, Jane was an organization that connected women who needed abortion with doctors who could perform those abortions. But as the organization grew, the women who ran it continued to make the organization more revolutionary: centering the needs of women as patients, counseling women about reproductive health, and, most significantly, performing abortions themselves (despite not being medically trained doctors) in order to ensure the women got the best treatment.
What Kaplan, a Jane member herself, teaches us through The Story of Jane is that women's access to safe reproductive healthcare is essential to women having access to economic and social equality. What Jane offered was one of the few places where women could safely get abortions but also where they could, for the first time, explore their own sexuality and reproductive needs. Because reproductive rights are not just about getting women abortions: they are about giving women access to the information so that they can make the most informed decisions about their own bodies and reproductive processes.
Jane, like most social organizations, had its internal conflict and tension including threats from law enforcement and each other. But The Story of Jane tells a foreboding tale of just how important legal, safe reproductive freedom is and how dark a post-Roe world without them may be.
October 30, 2021
An Unvarnished Homage
Laura Kaplan’s ethnography of “Jane,” Chicago’s underground abortion service (circa 1969 - 1973), is not a book of propaganda. She by no means idealizes the service which, in the beginning, had some serious faults. The women themselves were a mixed lot and Kaplan is candid and forthright about their shortcomings as well as their contributions to the cause.
My only qualm with Kaplan is her affinity for graphic surgical detail. If I, for instance, were recounting the exploits of a few conscientious laymen doling out secret vasectomies, do I really need to elaborate on the procedural minutia? Keep a bucket handy if itemized medical procedurals make you a little queazy.
Laura Kaplan’s ethnography of “Jane,” Chicago’s underground abortion service (circa 1969 - 1973), is not a book of propaganda. She by no means idealizes the service which, in the beginning, had some serious faults. The women themselves were a mixed lot and Kaplan is candid and forthright about their shortcomings as well as their contributions to the cause.
My only qualm with Kaplan is her affinity for graphic surgical detail. If I, for instance, were recounting the exploits of a few conscientious laymen doling out secret vasectomies, do I really need to elaborate on the procedural minutia? Keep a bucket handy if itemized medical procedurals make you a little queazy.
August 5, 2007
SO good. A great account of the often silent (or at least quiet) history of the incredible Chicago-based group that provided illegal/extralegal abortions in the few years before Roe.
A little lacking in the critique of the "other part" of the choice debates (i.e. the forced/coerced sterilizations of w.o.c.); Kaplan had the perfect opportunity to address this when she discussed the post-abortion check-ups that the women received - where the women were offered birth control methods, both temporary and permanent - but she simply glossed over that aspect, whether for the sake of brevity or avoidance, I'm not sure. I find it hard to believe that, with the number of women, especially poor women and women of color, that they saw, the prospect of forced/coerced sterilization wouldn't come up. Race was addressed, but it felt more self-congratulatory than honest.
Despite these weaknesses, though, the book was a good read, and Kaplan was able to stay away from the tendency to be dry and boring that afflicts many historical writers. Highly recommended.
(Especially these days; we may need to reincarnate Jane in the near future, and we might need a model to look toward...Hopefully not, but: hope for the best, plan for the worst, right?)
A little lacking in the critique of the "other part" of the choice debates (i.e. the forced/coerced sterilizations of w.o.c.); Kaplan had the perfect opportunity to address this when she discussed the post-abortion check-ups that the women received - where the women were offered birth control methods, both temporary and permanent - but she simply glossed over that aspect, whether for the sake of brevity or avoidance, I'm not sure. I find it hard to believe that, with the number of women, especially poor women and women of color, that they saw, the prospect of forced/coerced sterilization wouldn't come up. Race was addressed, but it felt more self-congratulatory than honest.
Despite these weaknesses, though, the book was a good read, and Kaplan was able to stay away from the tendency to be dry and boring that afflicts many historical writers. Highly recommended.
(Especially these days; we may need to reincarnate Jane in the near future, and we might need a model to look toward...Hopefully not, but: hope for the best, plan for the worst, right?)
August 4, 2012
As a student at the U of Chicago in the 1960s and as a participant in The Movement, I was acquainted with several of the women who worked in Jane. It was necessary that as few people as possible know any details, so I knew no details of this wonderful organization until I read this book in late middle age.
The most important lesson of this book is articulated in the last paragraph: "We in Jane learned that social change is not a gift given by leaders and heroes, but is accomplished by ordinary people working together."
The most important lesson of this book is articulated in the last paragraph: "We in Jane learned that social change is not a gift given by leaders and heroes, but is accomplished by ordinary people working together."
June 25, 2022
”The power to act had to be in the hands of each woman. Her decision about an abortion needed to be underscored as an active choice about her life.”
Oh the terrible, horrible, agonizing irony that the day I finish this book, Roe vs. Wade was overturned in the United States. The Supreme Court case that guaranteed women nation-wide access the right to have a safe abortion was put back in the hands of the states, with an expected 26 states now set to either completely ban abortion or place severe restrictions on access to abortion.
It’s a slap in the face to childbearing individuals everywhere who live in states where they could be prosecuted and charged with having an abortion. It’s a slap in the face to past and present lawmakers who worked so tirelessly to give us our right to have safe access to abortion. And it’s a slap in the face to the Janes, the fearless, resilient women who from 1969-1973, helped women get access to safe abortions and even performing them themselves.
This complete, masterful account of what they did was remarkable. I had no idea such a group existed. And it’s a shame that more people don’t know that they exist and the tireless work they did on behalf of those who could bear children. They were a fundamental and instrumental part in the fight to have the right to have safe and legal access to abortions. I am so heartbroken that all their progress and all that they fought for has been snatched away.
Abortion is a decision is for the person carrying the child and no other. Period. Full stop. End of discussion. By overturning Roe vs. Wade, they won’t make abortions disappear. They will just make safe access to abortions disappear. Who knows how many women and people who can carry children will die or be seriously injured because of this decision? All that the Janes have fought for has been for nought. These are ladies who risked their lives and their freedom all so they could give women this basic, fundamental right.
Even this is a day to be mourned by many, this masterful, detailed account of the invaluable service the Janes did to thousands of women everywhere is something to be celebrated. I highly, highly, recommend this book as not only a way to become educated about the fight for abortion in the past, but as a reference for future generations on how to fight in the future.
”In the public discourse, the fetus has been elevated to an equal status with a living, breathing human being. More and more, women are viewed as the enemy of the children, requiring the State’s intervention to protect their developing children from them. But, in reality, women still conceive, nurture, give birth to and, in most cases, are the primary caregivers of children. Women are being reduced, once again, to the incubators of future generations with total responsibility and no power. That is the same oppressive view that the women’s movement sought to challenge. It is not just abortion, but women’s power to control their destinies that is at stake.”
Oh the terrible, horrible, agonizing irony that the day I finish this book, Roe vs. Wade was overturned in the United States. The Supreme Court case that guaranteed women nation-wide access the right to have a safe abortion was put back in the hands of the states, with an expected 26 states now set to either completely ban abortion or place severe restrictions on access to abortion.
It’s a slap in the face to childbearing individuals everywhere who live in states where they could be prosecuted and charged with having an abortion. It’s a slap in the face to past and present lawmakers who worked so tirelessly to give us our right to have safe access to abortion. And it’s a slap in the face to the Janes, the fearless, resilient women who from 1969-1973, helped women get access to safe abortions and even performing them themselves.
This complete, masterful account of what they did was remarkable. I had no idea such a group existed. And it’s a shame that more people don’t know that they exist and the tireless work they did on behalf of those who could bear children. They were a fundamental and instrumental part in the fight to have the right to have safe and legal access to abortions. I am so heartbroken that all their progress and all that they fought for has been snatched away.
Abortion is a decision is for the person carrying the child and no other. Period. Full stop. End of discussion. By overturning Roe vs. Wade, they won’t make abortions disappear. They will just make safe access to abortions disappear. Who knows how many women and people who can carry children will die or be seriously injured because of this decision? All that the Janes have fought for has been for nought. These are ladies who risked their lives and their freedom all so they could give women this basic, fundamental right.
Even this is a day to be mourned by many, this masterful, detailed account of the invaluable service the Janes did to thousands of women everywhere is something to be celebrated. I highly, highly, recommend this book as not only a way to become educated about the fight for abortion in the past, but as a reference for future generations on how to fight in the future.
”In the public discourse, the fetus has been elevated to an equal status with a living, breathing human being. More and more, women are viewed as the enemy of the children, requiring the State’s intervention to protect their developing children from them. But, in reality, women still conceive, nurture, give birth to and, in most cases, are the primary caregivers of children. Women are being reduced, once again, to the incubators of future generations with total responsibility and no power. That is the same oppressive view that the women’s movement sought to challenge. It is not just abortion, but women’s power to control their destinies that is at stake.”
November 28, 2014
This book blew me away.
I got it at the Spring '09 Friends of the Library booksale, but I didn't start reading it until the day Dr. George Tiller (RIP) was murdered (May 31, 2009).
This book tell the story of Jane, the underground, feminist abortion service that happened in Chicago in the years prior to Roe v. Wade, when abortion was still illegal in Illinois (and most other states). It was written by a woman who was actually involved in the service.
The service started as a way to help women get in touch with sympathetic doctors who were willing to perform illegal abortions. Soon the service had their own compatent, caring, talented doctor who performed abortions in rotating locations, the homes and apartments of members of the service.
When members of Jane found out the doctor performing the abortions was not a doctor at all, several of them felt empowered to also perform abortions. The abortion provider with whom they worked started teaching the women everything he knew about the proceedures. Soon members of the service was actually performing abortions.
The women in Jane were really about women's liberation. That aspect of the book both really inspired me and made me really sad about the watered down version of feminism we have today that tells women we should be happy to be allowed to vote and hold jobs outside the home. Damn, why aren't we working for total liberation anymore?
I also appreciate the writing style of this book. It is accessible, but not dumbed down.
Overall, this is a great book that sheds light on an often overlooked aspect of American history.
I got it at the Spring '09 Friends of the Library booksale, but I didn't start reading it until the day Dr. George Tiller (RIP) was murdered (May 31, 2009).
This book tell the story of Jane, the underground, feminist abortion service that happened in Chicago in the years prior to Roe v. Wade, when abortion was still illegal in Illinois (and most other states). It was written by a woman who was actually involved in the service.
The service started as a way to help women get in touch with sympathetic doctors who were willing to perform illegal abortions. Soon the service had their own compatent, caring, talented doctor who performed abortions in rotating locations, the homes and apartments of members of the service.
When members of Jane found out the doctor performing the abortions was not a doctor at all, several of them felt empowered to also perform abortions. The abortion provider with whom they worked started teaching the women everything he knew about the proceedures. Soon members of the service was actually performing abortions.
The women in Jane were really about women's liberation. That aspect of the book both really inspired me and made me really sad about the watered down version of feminism we have today that tells women we should be happy to be allowed to vote and hold jobs outside the home. Damn, why aren't we working for total liberation anymore?
I also appreciate the writing style of this book. It is accessible, but not dumbed down.
Overall, this is a great book that sheds light on an often overlooked aspect of American history.
April 23, 2019
Before Roe vs Wade, abortion services were largely unavailable to women except through underground services. Jane was a network set up by women, for women seeking access to abortion. Laura Kaplan takes us through the dynamics of setting up such a service, and how in the early years, women having and making decisions around termination of pregnancies was an empowering experience. A must-read!
May 19, 2022
After years of wanting to read this book I finally got the chance. This book makes me so proud and has made a profound impact on my life. The whole time I was reading this I felt so compelled and in awe at what these women did for 4 years pre Roe v Wade. It was truly legendary and groundbreaking. The organization just started out as finding women who needed an abortion safe access. The members of the organization knew how dangerous it was for women to go to certain abortionists who may put them in harms way or even demand sexual favors from women prior to them getting an abortion. They were also tired of women dying and being physically harmed by trying to self induce an
abortion. Several women stepped up and Jane was started. Several things that I was surprised to learn was that:
1. The women learned how to perform abortions themselves
2. Several clergy members, including Charles Moody, a prominent Baptist minister, was involved in helping women get abortions.
3. Over the four years that they operated Jane helped about 11 thousand women abortions.
4. They performed late term abortions and the members acted as doulas in these roles during the miscarriages and labor.
These women are my Sheros. They risked their lives to selflessly help women in need. They also decided that treated people not just as patients but as real people. Medial professionals at that time treated women as too dumb to even understand their own bodies and what they were going through. By the time Jane ended the group had been arrested, taught women how to do self examines and overall learn about their bodies and themselves. Several quotes throughout the book cause my attention.
"Change is not a gift given by leaders and heroes, but is accomplished by ordinary people working together"
"Women have always been healers. They were the unlicensed doctors and anatomists of western history. They were abortionists, nurses and counselors. They were pharmacists,cultivating herbs and exchanging the secrets of their uses. They were midwives traveling from home to home, village to village. For centuries women were doctors without degrees, barred from books and lectures, learning from each other, and passing on experience from neighbor to neighbor and mother to daughter. They were called "wise women"by the people and witches or charlatans by the authorities. Medicine is apart of our heritage as women, our history, our birthright".....
abortion. Several women stepped up and Jane was started. Several things that I was surprised to learn was that:
1. The women learned how to perform abortions themselves
2. Several clergy members, including Charles Moody, a prominent Baptist minister, was involved in helping women get abortions.
3. Over the four years that they operated Jane helped about 11 thousand women abortions.
4. They performed late term abortions and the members acted as doulas in these roles during the miscarriages and labor.
These women are my Sheros. They risked their lives to selflessly help women in need. They also decided that treated people not just as patients but as real people. Medial professionals at that time treated women as too dumb to even understand their own bodies and what they were going through. By the time Jane ended the group had been arrested, taught women how to do self examines and overall learn about their bodies and themselves. Several quotes throughout the book cause my attention.
"Change is not a gift given by leaders and heroes, but is accomplished by ordinary people working together"
"Women have always been healers. They were the unlicensed doctors and anatomists of western history. They were abortionists, nurses and counselors. They were pharmacists,cultivating herbs and exchanging the secrets of their uses. They were midwives traveling from home to home, village to village. For centuries women were doctors without degrees, barred from books and lectures, learning from each other, and passing on experience from neighbor to neighbor and mother to daughter. They were called "wise women"by the people and witches or charlatans by the authorities. Medicine is apart of our heritage as women, our history, our birthright".....
April 11, 2009
This is an incredibly interesting book, particularly because all the questions that Jane faced as a radical feminist organization are the same questions feminists are asking today. Can a group get things done efficiently without relying on hierarchies? Are power struggles inevitable? How do personality conflicts between members affect the work?
Theoretically I am 100% behind Jane's actions. But I still felt uneasy reading about women with limited medical training providing abortions. Uneasy and awed. Jane definitely makes you question just how far you would be willing to take your theoretical knowledge.
My major problem with the book is that it just is not well shaped. The author is understandably very concerned with getting across the political importance of Jane's work, and does so by being very repetitive. It was almost like the author was doing to the readers what Jane did with new members - indoctrinate us to know the official Jane position, make us wait a long time for more privileged information, get hectic and jumbled after the arrest of 7 members, and then sort of just fall to pieces in the end.
Even so, I haven't read anything quite like it and recommend it highly.
Theoretically I am 100% behind Jane's actions. But I still felt uneasy reading about women with limited medical training providing abortions. Uneasy and awed. Jane definitely makes you question just how far you would be willing to take your theoretical knowledge.
My major problem with the book is that it just is not well shaped. The author is understandably very concerned with getting across the political importance of Jane's work, and does so by being very repetitive. It was almost like the author was doing to the readers what Jane did with new members - indoctrinate us to know the official Jane position, make us wait a long time for more privileged information, get hectic and jumbled after the arrest of 7 members, and then sort of just fall to pieces in the end.
Even so, I haven't read anything quite like it and recommend it highly.
June 16, 2015
To love this book like I did, you must be down with its politics: women have the right to access abortion. Full stop. The women profiled in "The Story of Jane" took on an incredible amount of risk to help women exert control over their lives at a time when both law and culture prevented them from accessing abortion. I fully support that, so I loved this book. It's an inspiring. moving, and terrifying account of how a group of dedicated women came together to challenge laws by arranging and performing abortions in the years before Roe v. Wade.
Kaplan isn't a professional academic, so at times the history isn't as clear as it could be or some information is repeated much more than needed. Those are minor shortcomings, however. The book as a whole is an inspiring portrait of women who figured out what needed to be done and did it-- imperfectly and with a tremendous amount of risk. As someone born and raised after Roe, I was astounded by the risks that the women of Jane took on! Arrest! Performing abortions without a medical license in apartments! Without an autoclave! I was amazed and moved all at once.
In addition to the stories of individual women, "The Story of Jane" includes a stinging critique of the limitations of Roe v. Wade. Focused as it is on the rights of physicians, the decision failed to bring forth the kind of woman-centered medical practice that Jane envisioned. It probably goes without saying that the decision also allowed states to continue to restrict abortion access in the decades to come.
This book is a must-read for anyone who is pro-choice or an activist for justice and equity. This is especially true given the ways in which the book demonstrates the value of doing work while ALSO working on ideology and political perspectives. As Julia, profiled in the book says, "the practical level was another level down [from the 1960s social movements] and not so interesting. I don't know much about organizing, but I feel as though, if the reality of the situation doesn't change people's heads, then nothing's going to change their heads. Marches and those things are not the work of it. The work of it is whatever the work is" (209). Amen.
Kaplan isn't a professional academic, so at times the history isn't as clear as it could be or some information is repeated much more than needed. Those are minor shortcomings, however. The book as a whole is an inspiring portrait of women who figured out what needed to be done and did it-- imperfectly and with a tremendous amount of risk. As someone born and raised after Roe, I was astounded by the risks that the women of Jane took on! Arrest! Performing abortions without a medical license in apartments! Without an autoclave! I was amazed and moved all at once.
In addition to the stories of individual women, "The Story of Jane" includes a stinging critique of the limitations of Roe v. Wade. Focused as it is on the rights of physicians, the decision failed to bring forth the kind of woman-centered medical practice that Jane envisioned. It probably goes without saying that the decision also allowed states to continue to restrict abortion access in the decades to come.
This book is a must-read for anyone who is pro-choice or an activist for justice and equity. This is especially true given the ways in which the book demonstrates the value of doing work while ALSO working on ideology and political perspectives. As Julia, profiled in the book says, "the practical level was another level down [from the 1960s social movements] and not so interesting. I don't know much about organizing, but I feel as though, if the reality of the situation doesn't change people's heads, then nothing's going to change their heads. Marches and those things are not the work of it. The work of it is whatever the work is" (209). Amen.
September 2, 2022
Absolutely fantastic, a raw and honest portrayal of the secret illegal abortion group operating in Chicago in the years leading up to Roe v. Wade. This one will stay with me.
May 13, 2022
This was phenomenal. A story of how normal women created an essential service for women, by women. The refrain from the women who used the service was that it made them feel empowered. Utterly inspiring, especially in a time where it feels like regular folks have little power.
At the same time, it shows a heartbreaking vision of what women’s health could have been - caring, supporting, personal - rather than what it has, in general, become (sterile, impersonal, not listening). I was also saddened by how much some things - understanding how one gets pregnant, access to birth control - have changed significantly, some things - a lack of intersectionality and understanding how important representation is - haven’t changed much at all in the last 50 years.
Lastly, as a UChicago alum, I’m incredulous that I had no idea how large of a role Hyde Park, the university and the larger south side played in helping women up to the Roe v Wade decision. Jane is intimately tied to the university, and the dean of Rockefeller Chapel went to court to protect the names of those providing abortions! Why didn’t I know any of this?!? (My best friend said she read something in the UChicago mag about it but still.)
At the same time, it shows a heartbreaking vision of what women’s health could have been - caring, supporting, personal - rather than what it has, in general, become (sterile, impersonal, not listening). I was also saddened by how much some things - understanding how one gets pregnant, access to birth control - have changed significantly, some things - a lack of intersectionality and understanding how important representation is - haven’t changed much at all in the last 50 years.
Lastly, as a UChicago alum, I’m incredulous that I had no idea how large of a role Hyde Park, the university and the larger south side played in helping women up to the Roe v Wade decision. Jane is intimately tied to the university, and the dean of Rockefeller Chapel went to court to protect the names of those providing abortions! Why didn’t I know any of this?!? (My best friend said she read something in the UChicago mag about it but still.)
May 7, 2022
I wish all of us born after Roe v. Wade & the publication of Our Bodies, Ourselves could read these vivid descriptions of life without legal birth control, basic knowledge of the reproductive system & safe, affordable abortions.
The Story of Jane tells how the underground organization in Chicago code named "Jane" developed from a service that brokered abortions to becoming a group of lay-women performing abortions to cut costs & control the experience. It details how they hid their illegal activity.
“Those of us who remember what it was like before Roe v. Wade know that restricting abortion will not end it. For every woman, abortion…is not a theoretical abstraction, but rooted in the concrete conditions of her life.” p. xvi
The commitment & personal risk required of Jane members, a mix of suburban housewives & young feminists, is astonishing: it is a critical point in history reminds us of the sacrifices it takes to fight for freedom.
As a portrait of a revolutionary group, it is best when it has the pace of a thriller. Perhaps it will become a movie?
*******
It has been made into a movie! “Ask for Jane.” Watched it on Kanopy.
The Story of Jane tells how the underground organization in Chicago code named "Jane" developed from a service that brokered abortions to becoming a group of lay-women performing abortions to cut costs & control the experience. It details how they hid their illegal activity.
“Those of us who remember what it was like before Roe v. Wade know that restricting abortion will not end it. For every woman, abortion…is not a theoretical abstraction, but rooted in the concrete conditions of her life.” p. xvi
The commitment & personal risk required of Jane members, a mix of suburban housewives & young feminists, is astonishing: it is a critical point in history reminds us of the sacrifices it takes to fight for freedom.
As a portrait of a revolutionary group, it is best when it has the pace of a thriller. Perhaps it will become a movie?
*******
It has been made into a movie! “Ask for Jane.” Watched it on Kanopy.
May 15, 2014
I wanted to love this, but really this book desperately needed an editor to force a more coherent story. The repetition of things, sometimes only sentences apart was driving me crazy. That being said, the story itself is interesting and should be better known.
February 13, 2025
In the state that this world is in, it really feels like we go 1 step forward to go 2 steps back. So I’m really trying to lean on history to inspire me about the change that can happen.
I think this novel about the underground abortion service “Jane” in Chicago during the late 60s-early 70s is particularly relevant right now. It’s a bit of a brutal story in many ways because of the jarring measures taken to provide abortions, like unlicensed doctors giving them, the uncertainty in how far along a women was in her pregnancy, the experimental, “new” practices in doing abortions, etc. However, the overwhelming success of Jane in Pre Roe v Wade era to help thousands of women safely receive the reproductive care they deserve, reminds me that groups run by women for women will always exist and persist.
I think this novel about the underground abortion service “Jane” in Chicago during the late 60s-early 70s is particularly relevant right now. It’s a bit of a brutal story in many ways because of the jarring measures taken to provide abortions, like unlicensed doctors giving them, the uncertainty in how far along a women was in her pregnancy, the experimental, “new” practices in doing abortions, etc. However, the overwhelming success of Jane in Pre Roe v Wade era to help thousands of women safely receive the reproductive care they deserve, reminds me that groups run by women for women will always exist and persist.
July 25, 2022
Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
This is an enlightening, thought-provoking, and at times, graphic history of an underground service that arose to fulfill a need, and which will most likely end up being resurrected in some form in the new millennium.
Enough time has passed and new generations born that we have forgotten the time when even birth control remained an out-of-reach mystery to a large proportion of women. This book will shock and sadden readers, but it will also make them think…
This is an enlightening, thought-provoking, and at times, graphic history of an underground service that arose to fulfill a need, and which will most likely end up being resurrected in some form in the new millennium.
Enough time has passed and new generations born that we have forgotten the time when even birth control remained an out-of-reach mystery to a large proportion of women. This book will shock and sadden readers, but it will also make them think…
July 7, 2022
This is a great look at what the world, or at least Chicago, was like for women Pre-Roe. As we enter an era Post-Roe, I thought it would be important to see what might lie ahead. The struggles they faced were enormous, but the solutions they found were incredibly powerful, as well. The first-hand accounts of women who ran Jane, an underground abortion service, were powerful as well as chilling. This book was incredibly informative, there's so much that's different and the same about these two eras. Learning that Roe gave power to the doctors was a surprise to me. I think that this book has allowed me to be more educated on this topic, and I'm going to continue to look for more to be more informed.
January 17, 2023
a book about lots of ordinary woman committed to something special, a very relevant and transformative read about underground abortion care before Roe v. Wade
August 8, 2023
A must-read for my doula friends!
April 2, 2024
This was incredibly interesting. Highly recommend. It’s amazing to me that these women put themselves on the line and learned how to provide abortions eventually doing so at almost no charge.
October 25, 2024
I liked that this book presented things very matter-of-fact-ly. It didn't paint the women a part of the organization as heroes, but just as people you saw a problem in society and decided to do something about it in their own way.
February 11, 2024
Well written and fascinating piece of history - women are just the coolest
January 24, 2024
Excellent story and also made me think about how much better women’s healthcare could be in general.
September 26, 2012
Let me tell you, this book was… WOW. As the title suggests, Jane is the name for the underground abortion service in Chicago that served thousands of women before abortion became legal in 1973. Jane members risked going to jail (and some did get in some legal trouble at one point) in order to provide abortions to desperate women who might otherwise resort to terrifyingly dangerous means to end their pregnancies. Jane counselors took the time to explain the entire procedure with women during a time when these things were usually done unto women. They also made efforts to lower prices and negotiate with the men performing the abortions. As Jane progressed, the women realized that in order to fully have control, they had to be part of the entire process. Eventually, members learned how to perform abortions themselves. Despite performing abortions in apartments with minimal medical equipment, the complication rate for Jane abortions were level with those that were performed in medical settings.
What really struck me about this is that members of Jane actually learned to perform the procedure themselves so that they could be more “self-reliant” and not depend on male doctors who jacked up prices and didn’t always seem to care about the welfare of the women they were supposedly helping. I also really liked their perspective towards medical care, in that they encouraged questions and didn’t want women to passively submit to medical procedures. I think that’s still a very important issue today. We tend to think that doctors (or medical personnel in general) are infinitely smarter than us, or at least more capable. It reminds me of when I had to learn phlebotomy and intramuscular (IM) injections for work. Being naive and needle-phobic, I had always assumed that you needed years of training and certifications in order to be able to wield a needle. Not so! I learned each skill in a one day training. Folks, it isn’t that hard to stick a needle in a person! Now I don’t see doctors as that much above me. I think most people could learn to do what doctors do. It’s just that not everyone wants to (or can) go to school for that long! Don’t get me wrong, I still respect doctors and I’m not saying I could go out tomorrow and perform heart surgery. What I’m saying is that if I was passionate about it and it was critical that I learn a medical skill, I could do it.
In any case, if you want to learn about the extremes women went through before abortion became legal, read this book. But even more than that, read it to be inspired by a group of women who saw something that was wrong with our society and took matters into their own hands.
What really struck me about this is that members of Jane actually learned to perform the procedure themselves so that they could be more “self-reliant” and not depend on male doctors who jacked up prices and didn’t always seem to care about the welfare of the women they were supposedly helping. I also really liked their perspective towards medical care, in that they encouraged questions and didn’t want women to passively submit to medical procedures. I think that’s still a very important issue today. We tend to think that doctors (or medical personnel in general) are infinitely smarter than us, or at least more capable. It reminds me of when I had to learn phlebotomy and intramuscular (IM) injections for work. Being naive and needle-phobic, I had always assumed that you needed years of training and certifications in order to be able to wield a needle. Not so! I learned each skill in a one day training. Folks, it isn’t that hard to stick a needle in a person! Now I don’t see doctors as that much above me. I think most people could learn to do what doctors do. It’s just that not everyone wants to (or can) go to school for that long! Don’t get me wrong, I still respect doctors and I’m not saying I could go out tomorrow and perform heart surgery. What I’m saying is that if I was passionate about it and it was critical that I learn a medical skill, I could do it.
In any case, if you want to learn about the extremes women went through before abortion became legal, read this book. But even more than that, read it to be inspired by a group of women who saw something that was wrong with our society and took matters into their own hands.
June 3, 2012
What these women did when they saw a need is one of the most astounding stories of courage and brilliance I've come across. The care they took, the lengths they went to, how they evolved—stunning. Jane, a core groups of about 25 - 30 women, existed for just four years, and in that time it's estimated that Jane changed for the better the lives of over 11,000 women while at the same time literally saving their lives—from the hands of butchers in a time with abortion was illegal—and how they actually turned this terrifying decision women face into a positive experience.
The Story of Jane is one of the most inspiring books I've read. It's women's history and cultural history. It shows what women went through at the hands of butchers—who sometimes demanded sex along with payment from frightened, desperate women—and what they experienced at the loving, safe, caring hands of Jane. And doctors—withholding information, Godlike, righteous—becoming demystified by the collective intelligence and fearlessness of Jane. And education, what the women learned as they came through the service, how they took responsibility for their own empowering decision, all thanks to Jane. And how the service affected members of Jane in their daily lives is something that every woman should experience.
In today's cultural climate, frighteningly, when women's rights are being chipped away at in almost every state in this country, this book is more important than ever. If you want to see what it was like for women when they had no control over their own bodies, and what it may be like again, very soon, if we don't stand up for our rights and fight back, read this book.
Let's do it for Jane.
The Story of Jane is one of the most inspiring books I've read. It's women's history and cultural history. It shows what women went through at the hands of butchers—who sometimes demanded sex along with payment from frightened, desperate women—and what they experienced at the loving, safe, caring hands of Jane. And doctors—withholding information, Godlike, righteous—becoming demystified by the collective intelligence and fearlessness of Jane. And education, what the women learned as they came through the service, how they took responsibility for their own empowering decision, all thanks to Jane. And how the service affected members of Jane in their daily lives is something that every woman should experience.
In today's cultural climate, frighteningly, when women's rights are being chipped away at in almost every state in this country, this book is more important than ever. If you want to see what it was like for women when they had no control over their own bodies, and what it may be like again, very soon, if we don't stand up for our rights and fight back, read this book.
Let's do it for Jane.
June 28, 2010
An exciting and informative read from start to finish, Jane is the story of an underground feminist abortion referral service which moved to providing abortions themselves four years before Roe v Wade. The book is based on interviews with many people who participated in the group, all woven into an engaging story. The way the book was written made me invested in the people and what they were doing - from running from a police raid to the excitement and tension of moving from a referral to an abortion provision service to the stress, frustration and will to survive coming out of their encounters with the state.
On top of the story itself, I found some of the most thought-provoking parts of the book to be when the author examines instances of group dynamics and practice in an intentionally non-hierarchical setting. Much like groups that I've been involved with, the group featured in the book experiences issues with informal leadership, skill sharing, burnout, and racial inclusion/exclusion. I found it fascinating to hear how these dynamics played out and changed over time and with the different circumstances encountered by the group.
On top of the story itself, I found some of the most thought-provoking parts of the book to be when the author examines instances of group dynamics and practice in an intentionally non-hierarchical setting. Much like groups that I've been involved with, the group featured in the book experiences issues with informal leadership, skill sharing, burnout, and racial inclusion/exclusion. I found it fascinating to hear how these dynamics played out and changed over time and with the different circumstances encountered by the group.
February 6, 2017
"Control was the key. It was a lesson Jenny had learned from her own struggle to get the sterilization and abortion she desperately needed. She had come out of her own abortion with loose, unchanneled anger, and the discussions Claire led had given her a framework through which to understand it. But she took what she learned from Claire one step further. It wasn’t enough to locate and refer women to competent doctors willing to perform abortions. The group had to be able to call the shots and make demands. They had to create a situation in which they could treat the doctors as merely the technicians they were."
Still the central issue with women's healthcare. A fascinating and inspiring book.
Still the central issue with women's healthcare. A fascinating and inspiring book.
October 21, 2012
This book was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I've been looking for a book like this for a while--something that could connect me to some of the woman-centered organizing that was happening in the late 60s/early 70s. I had so many emotional reactions to this book--hope, sadness, anger, empowerment. I was impressed by how the book connected to other woman's rights/feminist movements that were happening simultaneously, as well as how it addressed the ways in which this particular group could be very Eurocentric, classist, and heteronormative. I would recommend it to ANYONE and EVERYONE.
<3, Jennie
<3, Jennie
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