The Story of Jane

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. A former member of "Jane", Laura Kaplan draws on her personal recollections and interviews with other "Jane" members and clients, and the doctors who performed the abortions, providing a detailed history of this radical group. Weaving together the voices and memories of her former co-workers, Kaplan recounts how the group initially focused on counselling women and helping them find reliable, reasonably-priced doctors. Her account of this remarkable story recaptures the political idealism of the early 1970s.