The story of Jane : the legendary underground feminist abortion service

"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__ "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 In 1969 - four years before Roe v. Wade decriminalized abortion - a group of women in Chicago responded to a critical problem: the danger and desperation faced by women who could not obtain legal abortions. The group set up an underground abortion referral service with a phone number and a single name: Jane. Soon in constant demand, the service saved lives while giving women affirmation of their right to control their own bodies. Determined to lower cost and increase safety, Jane eventually put an abortionist "on contract," and learned, while assisting him, the art of his work. Then, in their boldest step, the members took control of the entire process and began performing the abortions themselves. During the four years of the group's existence, Jane provided more than 11,000 women with safe and affordable abortions, abortion counseling, and health education. In the four years before the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe versus Wade decision, women seeking abortions had to subject themelves to illegal, unregulated abortionists. This study reveals the presence of a secret organization, code-named Jane, which provided an alternative. Here the women tell their own stories. The first voice Jenny heard as the anesthetic lifted was the surgeon's, "The sterilization procedure was a success, and congratulations, you're eight weeks pregnant."