Rachel A. (ra7) reviewed The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service on + 1026 more book reviews
Jane began in Chicago in the 1960s. Their goal was to help women who were pregnant and didn't want to be- regardless of the reason. At first they acted as a referral service, an in between, to connect women with (reputable) providers who would then perform the abortion. After it was discovered that one such provider was not a medical doctor, the women of Jane thought, "why can't we learn and do them ourselves?"
By learning how to do abortions, the women of Jane were able to make their service much cheaper and easier. They still focused on counseling and education first. All told around there were around 100 women who were part of Jane at one time or another. And they helped thousands of women.
This book was awesome. The author was also a member of Jane. There is a disclaimer at the beginning- since what Jane was doing was illegal, they didn't keep records and this story is told from members'memories. Jane was not perfect. They made mistakes. Each individual member of Jane had their own personality and opinions and as a result, things didn't always mesh or do smoothly.
It is scary as a country the backward steps that have occurred in relation to abortion rights and access. (And the possibility of going after birth control next).
By learning how to do abortions, the women of Jane were able to make their service much cheaper and easier. They still focused on counseling and education first. All told around there were around 100 women who were part of Jane at one time or another. And they helped thousands of women.
This book was awesome. The author was also a member of Jane. There is a disclaimer at the beginning- since what Jane was doing was illegal, they didn't keep records and this story is told from members'memories. Jane was not perfect. They made mistakes. Each individual member of Jane had their own personality and opinions and as a result, things didn't always mesh or do smoothly.
It is scary as a country the backward steps that have occurred in relation to abortion rights and access. (And the possibility of going after birth control next).
