The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service by Laura Kaplan

Aug 05, 2007 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: pro-choicers, feminists, people who want to know what the pre-Roe days were like

Shelves: politics, want_it, repro-justice

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...more

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May 14, 2013 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-stars, non-fiction

An astonishing account of front line activism when abortion was illegal. From 1969 to 1973, a small network of women in Chicago, known collectively as Jane, first counseled and connected women to doctors who could perform safe and affordable abortions and then later performed abortions themselves. They served over 11,000 women before disbanding upon the advent of Roe v. Wade.

I was gripped from the very start, and even though the text got repetitive and the accounts of infighting were sometimes d...more An astonishing account of front line activism when abortion was illegal. From 1969 to 1973, a small network of women in Chicago, known collectively as Jane, first counseled and connected women to doctors who could perform safe and affordable abortions and then later performed abortions themselves. They served over 11,000 women before disbanding upon the advent of Roe v. Wade.

I was gripped from the very start, and even though the text got repetitive and the accounts of infighting were sometimes difficult to read (mostly because I'm worn out from infighting in my own life), I was moved, engaged, and enraged by this book at times. It's a very vivid account of an activist movement, of burnout, of the struggle of defining and living up to one's ideals. To start, I was skeptical and a bit appalled that they performed abortions without medical training, but as I read and followed the evolution of the group, of its tactics, of its mission, I went through the same thought trajectory that these women went through, and I could certainly understand why they chose to perform abortions themselves, and I could respect that decision and their work.

This is a feminist text concerned with feminist activism, and while it places Jane's work in its political context (Jane was considered a band-aid solution, not radical enough, by some feminist activists; it was considered too radical and too dangerous by others), it makes perfectly clear that to most of its members, what they wanted to do was the work of stepping in to help themselves and others being systematically oppressed for being women. "We in Jane were fortunate that we were able to create a project that met an immediate, critical need and, at the same time, put into practice our vision of how the world should be," the author, a member of Jane, writes. Another member of Jane notes that, "Politics doesn't matter. What matters is action and service. That's how to build a movement."

Race doesn't get paid too much attention in this book; a clear-eyed acknowledgement of class and race is woven through the book's analysis, and a small handful of the members of the collective were women of color, but given the GIGANTIC issues surrounding race and reproductive rights, lobbing out a statement like "As white women performing abortions for poor black women, they were vulnerable to accusations of genocide and racism," without unpacking it, just felt like dodging something very, very important. At the same time, it's clear that the members of Jane didn't patronize the women they helped, and they structured their counseling and their services to foster a sense of co-responsibility and equality. This was, and still is, pretty revolutionary for a health service. One example:

Women coming for abortions came "through" the service, not to it -- a process, not a place. They were never referred to as patients or clients. If they were called anything it was counselees. Jenny thought that "patient" was a medical term implying subject and object: "We didn't think of the women coming through the service as objects we were going to work on. We always thought of them as partners in a political activity -- partners in crime, to be exact."

Financially, Jane did their best to not turn away women, regardless of ability to pay, but they were not naive about financial matters, either. The money was a way of creating a sense of investment in these health services:

Everyone in the service agreed that each woman should pay something. It cost money to perform abortions. Paying was one way women owned what they were doing and participated in it, and participation, they discovered, was as much a key to a successful abortion as anything they did medically. Abortion wasn't a charity for helpless women: it was an act of responsibility.

The book is not all analysis; the stories of individual women hit me hard as well. While the police raid of Jane, in which seven members were arrested, is one of the most memorable stories (those women? BADASS! chained in a police van, they tear up and swallow documents with identifying information of the women they served! stuck away in an office at the police station, they sneakily use the phone to call everyone they could think of to alert them! they flush down the toilet the thousands of dollars they had on them, determined not to let the police get it!), the small, individual heartbreaks and moments of grace throughout the book will stick me for a long time to come.(less)

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Oct 13, 2012 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: women, memoir, politics, favorites

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 i...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Shana rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 ti...more 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.(less)

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Jan 18, 2009 Wealhtheow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, non-fiction

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)...more 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.(less)

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Jun 03, 2012 prairiesister rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoirs, nonfiction, signed-by-the-author

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 actual...more

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Apr 11, 2009 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 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 a...more

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Jun 27, 2010 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 abo...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was interesting, but I really feel the book probably sugarcoated a lot. the author had an agenda, and I can easily see her modifying the facts to suit it. The truth is, these women were doing abortions without medical degrees and sending women home, in most cases, with hardly any follow up and no knowledge of how they fared afterwards. god knows how many women had problems that they never even knew about.

Also, this book never gets into what the abortion procedure really entails. The fact is...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Sharon rated it 5 of 5 stars

A searing history lesson on feminists' struggle to make abortion safe, even when it was illegal. Jane went from tracking down a man willing to break the law and always more concerned with protecting himself and getting paid, to performing abortions on their own and protecting their patients from harm. this book also shows the difficulty and disagreements that come with helping women and building a medical establishment that values them as whole people. Anyone who even thinks going back to pre-Ro...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Jennie rated it 5 of 5 stars

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, c...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Charlie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 p...more

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May 04, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

"In the four years before the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, most women determined to get abortions had to subject themselves to the power of illegal, unregulated abortionists...But a Chicago woman who happened to stumble across a secret organization code-named 'Jane' had an alternative. Laura Kaplan, who joined Jane in 1971, has pieced together the histories of the anonymous (here identified only by pseudonyms), average-sounding women who transformed themselves into outlaws."—Cleve...more "In the four years before the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, most women determined to get abortions had to subject themselves to the power of illegal, unregulated abortionists...But a Chicago woman who happened to stumble across a secret organization code-named 'Jane' had an alternative. Laura Kaplan, who joined Jane in 1971, has pieced together the histories of the anonymous (here identified only by pseudonyms), average-sounding women who transformed themselves into outlaws."—Cleveland Plain Dealer

"The Story of Jane is a piece of women's history in step with feminist theory demanding that women tell their own stories. It serves to remind people of an important and often overlooked moment in the women's rights movement."—Seattle Weekly

"Laura Kaplan's The Story of Jane is the first book to chronicle this controversial sliver of history, and it is a fascinating, if partisan, close-up of the group."—Newsday

"[Kaplan] draws on her personal recollections and interviews with Jane members and clients and the doctors who performed the abortions to provide a well-written, detailed history of this radical group."—Publisher's Weekly

"Weaving together the voices and memories of her former co-workers, Kaplan recounts how the group initially focused on counseling women and helping them find reliable, reasonably priced doctors....Kaplan's account of this remarkable story recaptures the political idealism of the early '70s...23 years after Roe vs. Wade, the issues and memories raised by the books are close and all too relevant."—K Kaufmann, San Francisco Chronicle

"Laura Kaplan's The Story of Jane is the first book to chronicle this controversial sliver of history, and it is a fascinating, if partisan, close-up of the group....The Story of Jane succeeds on the steam of Kaplan's gripping subject and her moving belief in the power of small-scale change."—Cynthia Leive, New York Newsday

"During the four years before the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion in 1973, the 100 members of Jane helped some 11,000 women end their pregnancies....There is more in this remarkable book that will further raise eyebrows....Kaplan's engrossing tales of the quiet courage of the women who risked their reputations and freedom to help others may remind many readers of other kinds of outlaws who have resisted tyranny throughout history."—Chicago Sun-Times
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Jun 15, 2009 Needleroozer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: feminist, life-stories, pregnancy-birth-abortion, history

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 i...more

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May 13, 2009 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

(I tried posting this shortly after I read it but it came up as a comment, not a review. So - I'm reposting it here.)

Finally finished this. I'm so glad to be a part of this pro-choice book club.

This book is about an abortion service known as Jane in the years before Roe v Wade which was entirely operated by women. Women even learned to provide the abortions themselves.

Being someone who works somewhat closely to abortion services, I found the dynamic between the abortion providers and the women...more

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Jul 07, 2012 April rated it 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't really sure what I was going to get out of this book, since (as a radical feminist) I didn't need to be won over to the necessity of access to abortion. But I couldn't put this book down! The writing was a little dry and a little optimistic, but still: the story of women coming together to take control of their lives and their bodies, the power dynamics of any large group, and how these women dealt with men and the law was really fascinating.

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Mar 02, 2012 Mia rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Feminists, People interested in human rights issues

Recommended to Mia by: Saw it mentioned on TV

Shelves: feminist-women-s-issues, non-fiction, period, grief-depression, husband-wife-issues

This was an absolutely fascinating read! It was a great look into the history of abortion in the U.S. It dealt with the legal, moral, and emotional consequences that surrounded the underground organization known as "Jane." The chapters were well paced and the people described were memorable. It was like a political snapshot of the era.

I highly recommend this book if you're interested in womens' rights issues or U.S. history.

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Feb 05, 2010 Irene Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this book in my sophmore year of college, and it inspired and influenced me then. I read it again, over five years later, once I had completed graduate school and again, it inspired me. Highly recommended for anyone interested in grassroots feminism, or grassroots social movements in general, and for those interested in women's health services provision.

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Nov 04, 2010 Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone interested in the history of feminism or reproductive rights

Shelves: feminism, history, non-fiction

Kaplan, a former Jane member, tells the story of the Chicago group's formation in 1969 through the time Roe v. Wade was implemented in 1973. The group started out as an abortion referral service, offering counseling to the women they helped, but by 1973 they had advanced to the point of having some members perform abortions and induce miscarriages themselves, instead of relying on outside sources.

As someone who grew up long after this fight was being fought, this was a very good memoir-style boo...more

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Apr 16, 2010 Thorn MotherIssues rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2010

Teen reading challenge. This is a very readable narrative about the founding and evolution of the women's group known as Jane, which started out referring Chicago women to doctors who could perform safe abortions and ended up actually performing abortions as part of a consciousness-raising movement.

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Jul 31, 2008 Rosa Jimenez-Hernandez rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an amazing book! It makes me appreciate the fact that I grew into womanhood during the 1990s, and not before. Womens' issues during the 60s and early 70s were so much more than I could have imagined. I particulary enjoyed reading about young college-aged women in CHICAGO who took things into their own hands. They helped thousands of women by breaking unjust laws . . . I only hope that I would have stepped forward and joined these women regardless of the possible consequences. However, I...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Caitlin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: linkplus, history, social, non-fiction

Enjoyed this in a very different way than I was expecting - more melodrama, less historical non-fiction. A huge part of the book was about the relationships and interpersonal dynamics of the members of Jane.

I almost quit the book partway through the introduction, which was filled with phrases like "In picking up the tools of our own liberation" and compared Jane to the Underground Railroad. I guess I am fortunate enough to have always lived in a time and place where neither the government nor th...more

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May 14, 2010 Cherie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: feminism, non-fiction

A A really fascinating story of how Jane formed and existed. Jane was a fabulous underground pre-Roe v. Wade abortion provider. These women were amazing in all that they did!

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Apr 28, 2007 marg rated it 2 of 5 stars

Eh. The writing is poor and the topic itself is interesting but compromised by the melodramatics and obvious agenda. I would have much more sympathy if these women would tone it down a little - their cause is admirable enough but get the heck over yourselves. It certainly inforces the importance of having abortions be legal and accessible and the ill effects of a society that doesn't and the statement it makes/repercussions and all that, but otherwise the book is hard to get through. I couldn't...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars

For anybody who needs a reason to reminded why abortion should always be legal this is the book. A reminder of what could be again.

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Apr 06, 2009 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is very interesting but it read too much like a timeline for my taste.

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Jul 25, 2012 Abilouise rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really loved this book! More than anything it reminded me of a older sister to _Girls To The Front_, the way it lovingly and respectfully tells the story of women creating some great change and the stresses and conflicts and structures and joys and challenges that this involves. I already knew some of this story, having seen Judith Arcana speak at a book signing thing about her experience in Jane (which made me cry in gratitude for these awesome women), but this level of detail and storytellin...more

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Oct 17, 2011 Maijabeep rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: feminism, health

Wonderful book. I felt that the focus on what the medical profession should provide to women was extremely compelling. Health care should be in the hands of every woman and not handed down to her. I loved how honest the book was about the internal struggles of the group. I also thought the story of how the group evolved was fascinating. The thought I take away most from the book is that a woman's body must never be an object for law, politics, or medicine but we must emphasize and encourage ever...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The narrative style certainly helps make the text readable, but it can also feel forced at times. The epilogue, for instance, reads very much like it wants to be the pre-credits montage, in which the film reveals where each character is now. Style aside, however, the book provides seriously fascinating information on the pro-choice civil disobedience prior to Roe v. Wade and calls into question some contemporary pro-choice positions (e.g. "choice belongs to a woman and her doctor") that fail to...more

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May 17, 2012 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very interesting history of the early abortion movement.

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