Jane: An Abortion Service

This fascinating film by Kate Kirtz and Nell Lundy tells the story of “Jane”, the Chicago-based women’s health group who performed nearly 12,000 safe illegal abortions between 1969 and 1973 with no formal medical training.

As Jane members describe finding feminism and clients describe finding Jane, archival footage and recreations mingle to depict how the repression of the early sixties and social movements of the late sixties influenced this unique group. Both vital knowledge and meditation on the process of empowerment, Jane: An Abortion Service showcases the importance of preserving women’s knowledge in the face of revisionist history.

Judith Arcana, one of the “Janes”, will be on hand to present the one-hour film and lead a discussion on the hows & whys of her experiences and what a Jane-type service might look like today. For more info on the film and the Janes, click here.

Co-presented by the National Network of Abortion Funds and the Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change.