or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering
Sell Us Your Item
For a $2.04 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service [Paperback]

Laura Kaplan
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Buy New
$22.88 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Rent
$20.83
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
In Stock.
Rented by RentU and Fulfilled by Amazon.
Want it Tuesday, May 28? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback $22.88  
Rent Your Textbooks
Save up to 70% when you rent your textbooks on Amazon. Keep your textbook rentals for a semester and rental return shipping is free.

Book Description

June 9, 1997 0226424219 978-0226424217
"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


Frequently Bought Together

The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service + Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School
Price for both: $47.14

Buy the selected items together


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From 1969 until January 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, a pioneering group of Chicago feminists who called themselves "Jane" provided illegal access to abortions for thousands of women. Kaplan, who is now a lay midwife, joined Jane in 1971 as a counselor. Here she 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. Initially Jane was a referral agency only, but as demand grew, members became involved in counseling and attended clients' abortions, and some eventually trained to perform the abortions. Jane volunteers were convinced that women were entitled to control over their bodies, and they acted on their principles, despite the consequences. Several members were arrested in 1972, but the suit was dropped. Jane disbanded after abortion clinics became legal. A dramatic and important piece of women's history.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

From 1969 until the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling in 1973, a group of Chicago women formed a loose underground organization whose sole purpose was to aid women who needed abortions (then illegal, of course) in getting them as safely and inexpensively as possible. They called their referral service "Jane" and worked out a set of complicated procedures to keep both themselves and their clients out of jail. At first they handled referrals to willing doctors on a very limited basis-only three or four a week-but as word about Jane got around their business increased. Eventually the women were taught by an expert to do the abortions themselves, which enabled them to charge next to nothing to those in financial need. But the operations were not all they did; every one of the 11,000 women who came to Jane also received health education and counseling. As a study of this remarkable but little known phenomenon, this book will be of value to anyone interested in women's health, the women's movement, and women's reproductive health and rights, particularly now that those rights are coming under increasing attack.
Audrey Eaglen, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, Ohio
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 334 pages
  • Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (June 9, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0226424219
  • ISBN-13: 978-0226424217
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 10.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #319,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
(10)
3.8 out of 5 stars
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful reading July 16, 2000
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book takes a historical (even if partly rose colored) look back at the days before Roe vs Wade, and a group of women with a commitment to women's self determination

Although it is still a radical idea in our day (which accounts for the stalking of patients, bombing of Clinics and the killing of medical personel)these women realized that control over one's reproductive system was essential for survival. Women who found themselves pregnant had very limited options (there were no laws against firing pregnant workers or dismissing students and child support payments were very lax in enforcement by modern standards)and Jane sought to change that system. The change is even more remarkable in light of the fact that many of these women were college students like myself.

Because this book is so well written, you can almost feel the excitement and terror as many collective members were changing the system. Understandably, the use of pseudonyms was a necesitity both then and now.

Even though we know that abortion was legalized in Roe the mood is so well set in the book, "Never Again" rings throughout the pages. Although Jane members do not regret what they did, it is obvious that they do not want another generation to resort to such extra-legal methods. One generation was once too many.

In addition to individual reading and research, this book might be useful for a course on American women's history and/or a general course in the 1960's-1970s.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Important look at early feminist actions. August 27, 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
There was a lot I didn't know about the early years of the legalization of abortion, and this book really taught me a lot. I had no idea that there had been feminist collectives to do this kind of thing, or that much like with the current feminist movement, the women involved were from such diverse backgrounds. In this era of the erosion of the right to choice, this is an important book both to show us how it was and to help inspire a new wave of action.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Vital Resource November 2, 2005
Format:Hardcover
The story of Jane-and *this* story of Jane-is unfortunately, a vital one in this contemporary age. It is recommended reading for medical health enthusiasts, women's rights advocates, political activists of all kinds, and people who just plain old like a tale about people getting together and making sure their own needs are met.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book about an important topic
I knew several of the woman who worked in Jane, though it was important to keep as much as possible on a need-to-know basis. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Charles L. Smith
1.0 out of 5 stars Never read it for class...
Maybe I should give it FIVE stars!! I just never made the chance to read it, once I dropped my class...with an IMPOSSIBLE teacher!
Published 4 months ago by Mayumi
3.0 out of 5 stars Possible Sugarcoating?
This was interesting, but I really feel the book probably sugarcoated a lot. the author had an agenda, and I can easily see her modifying the facts to suit it. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Melanie Z.
5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for women who did not live through the Pre-Roe...
As a child of the 80s, I have had the privilege of existing only in a world with legal abortion. The Story of Jane introduced me to the realities of the pre-Roe era that I only... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Sd
3.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating account
Though clearly romanticized and seen through the rose-colored glasses of hindsight, The Story of Jane tells a tale of women running a criminal abortion syndicate for ideological... Read more
Published on May 24, 2006 by Christina Dunigan
3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting look at pre-legalization abortion
This is a must-read for feminists, pro-choicers, pro-lifers, and activists involved in the area of women's health. Read more
Published on May 22, 2000 by missmao
3.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating account.
Though clearly romanticized and seen through the rose-colored glasses of hindsight, The Story of Jane tells a tale of women running a criminal abortion syndicate for ideological... Read more
Published on December 15, 1997 by cdunigan@hotmail.com
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews





Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Listmania!




Look for Similar Items by Category