On one occasion, in the US, it was pretty simple for women to go through abortion. As some would argue that it was a commonplace across the colonial America where it could be accessed, this changed by mid 1800s when almost every state illegalized it. What happened over several decades after abortion’s criminalization marked a tedious and long-lasting battle between those who believed it was their right to have an abortion and those who perceived as violating their religious beliefs. In the 1960s, demonstrators set off a chain of events that brought down all obstacles which culminated in the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v Wade of 1973; this ruled out complete prohibition of abortions by states.
It felt like a sigh of relief for people fighting for access, but to others, just another fight was beginning: bringing down court’s precedent. It emerged on May 2nd, 2022 through Politico that Supreme Court was planning to overturn Roe v Wade, a significant landmark case for women’s reproductive rights struggle. This is the first leak of its kind in modern history of the court; thus becoming both heart-breaking and breathtaking news and a reason for protest among some Americans while others were only glad about it. The situation with Roe v Wade and supreme courts’ rulings may still hang in balance but many are looking back into history to hear from those alive and fighting before full legalization of what used to be called backstreet abortions.
The timing could not have been better than now for HBO Max streaming platform HBO when they released The Janes documentary which chronicles women’s struggles in Chicago as they sought abortions prior to Roe v. Wade making headlines nationally.
First premiered during Sundance Film Festival then won an aw ard during Cleveland Film Festival. Co-directed by Tia Lessin (Trouble the Water) and Emma Pildes (Citizen Koch) both active feminists whose previous works dealt with social justice issues specifically gender-based. However, there is a lot more to this documentary than it would seem due to its perfect synchrony with the current state of affairs.
As history slowly erases the memory of a pre-Roe v. Wade era, The Janes plunges back into the personal tales of being a Jane in 1960s Chicago. There were few other outlets at the time – some women even resorted to mobsters who would charge up to thousands of dollars for an abortion procedure. “I was desperate,” says one woman in the opening scene of the film. In Illinois or indeed anywhere else across America, women had no choices but go through dubious means in order to terminate unwanted pregnancies.
The Janes emerged in Chicago. Advertisements began to be broadcasted all over the city, promising that calling a number and asking for Jane would get you connected to a dependable inexpensive abortion. The women who became Janes put their own lives at great risk helping their patients, because the Chicago Police Department and Chicago Mafia actively sought out those who were helping in this capacity. If caught by law enforcement officers, they would be tried and sentenced or imprisoned. “I don’t care,” said one Jane while another replied, “It doesn’t matter until I am arrested.” Threats of violence from the police force and mafia are always there. The Janes operated silently for five years before Roe v Wade in 1972 when they were apprehended for their activities. Why did they get caught? A policeman’s sister-in-law wanted an abortion.
In the opening scene, the same woman contacted mob and was presented with three prices; she was told to pick one of them as her life depended on it.Too broke for the other two more expensive packages, she was left bleeding inside a hotel room along with another lady who also couldn’t afford any other package.She says that if she had been unable to move about freely then she could have died that day whilst still being with somebody unknown to her.The point where she starts crying is later in the documentary as she talks about her second abortion which took place through Jane.When women were given no choice but to face male dominance within healthcare systems run by men during those times, these women created something safe for their patients; compassion born out of shared experience for both sides.
One of the most interesting parts of this documentary is looking at who made up this group known as Jane: mainly white women from privileged socio-economic backgrounds. Majority of black and Latina women seeking abortions in Chicago are not part of the clientele served by these white feminists.Even till now, most women who go for abortions are poor and increasingly black women. When abortion was legalized in New York and other states in the early 1970s, rich white women would travel for abortions leaving behind the most disadvantaged.
While filmmakers beat around the bush about many of the Janes being educated white middle class women serving BIPOC communities, helping them get away with it right under the nose of law, images from the Civil Rights Movement were placed besides stories by Janes from late sixties. However, this is just a setting of the documentary as these women faced a different kind of horror—though inspired by what was happening in their generation regarding civil rights movement and antiwar protests. A Black Jane has said that she has a scar on her face from protesting when someone threw a bottle at her.
They are vividly describing their own abortions and the women they took to have them as well as how they went about clandestinely operating. The subterfuge behind these operations is breath taking whether through code words or constantly changing locales and cars used for picking up the females. Yet, at the same time, the documentary subtly reminds us that this was not so long ago. These women are lively in front of the camera; they occasionally drop funny lines and as a result show a flicker in their eyes when recounting some past events.
Through interviews with today’s Janes it becomes clear how ordinary people responded to crisis calls and helped others in distress. In a post-Roe world, some 1960s ground work might be more relevant than ever before. This film features period footage from that era as well as employing lenient style following only female voices talking about their lives during those times; thus making it a document of an era gone by but already forgotten. While this is not something written on social media feeds or extensively discussed in history class rooms, this documentary provides primary sources confirming that they were there and what they did was real. At that time all these women needed to be was Jane Doe—what mattered was what happened afterwards.
Testimonies would be their designation if these stories were taken to court. To the viewer, it may or may not matter whether or not what they did was right but at its core this story breaks down social, racial and economic distinctions among individuals. They risked their lives for each other because one woman helping another woman could be your sister too who is just trying to do the right thing even if it is illegal and dangerous at times. Suddenly faces appear beside names and events as many openly tell such personal stories for the first time through TakeBack Freedom resulting from which viewers can relate their experiences personally by humanizing them. It also serves as an inspiration since these women stood up for their beliefs and might have destroyed themselves by assisting others.
While The Janes is mostly based on the past and memories shared by the women. It is a forewarning of what lies ahead. As per the CDC, nearly six decades on, most women who terminate pregnancies are poor, black or Latina. When contrasted to not too distant past it may appear that access to gynecologists as well as other women health rights in 2022 together with social media networks is a windfall for this cause; nevertheless something like “the Janes” can happen again for just regular people that cannot afford going either to California or New York. Suddenly history repeats itself, and those haunting lessons from the past are needed now more than ever.
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