On the 52nd anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, Elisabeth Heissner, manager of visitor acquisition & engagement, and Hannah Johnson, member relations manager, share about the Jane Collective and their work in the years before Roe providing illegal but safe abortions.
Fifty-two years ago, on January 22, 1973, the US Supreme Court issued their decision on Roe v. Wade, declaring that the Constitution protected a right to abortion. The case was argued on the grounds that the Fourteenth Amendment provides a fundamental right to privacy, which includes an individual’s decision to abort their pregnancy. However, before Roe, access to safe abortions was difficult to obtain in most of the country, including Illinois. So, in the absence of safe and legal abortions, in the late 1960s a Chicago-based group named the Jane Collective emerged. The Jane Collective or, simply, “Jane,” was founded by Heather Booth, a University of Chicago student with ties to the Civil Rights Movement and the 1964 Freedom Summer project in Mississippi. Jane relied on underground methods and grassroots planning to coordinate abortions for women who contacted them.
In a 1996 interview with Studs Terkel, Laura Kaplan, former Jane member, discussed her book The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service (1995). Between 1969 and 1973, Jane provided an estimated 11,000 safe abortions, counseled women, and distributed reproductive education resources, at the risk of the members’ own safety and reputations. The group was born out of social movements of the late 1960s, particularly the Civil Rights Movement and the Chicago Women’s Liberation Union (CWLU), and attracted between 120 and 140 likeminded members.
Hand-painted wooden sign that reads “Chicago Women’s Liberation Union,” c. 1975. CHM, ICHi-179843
How does one provide a safe, but illegal, abortion?
Members of the Abortion Rights Association of Illinois picket in the Loop in favor of vetoing state bill HB333, which would reaffirm a ban on abortion funds, Chicago, July 7, 1977. ST-19000044-0019, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM
Surprisingly, the answer came from a man with no formal medical training. The founding Jane members found a resource in a “Dr. Kaufman,” who operated out of motels in west suburban Cicero, Illinois. Dr. Kaufman, or “Nick,” as he is referred to in Kaplan’s book, entered into an agreement with Jane to perform abortions for the promise of steady business. Jane secured clients through word of mouth; women seeking abortions called a general line to leave a message for “Jane,” and would then be counseled by a member who returned their call. Members would use their apartments as “fronts” for client check-in. After visiting “the front,” the client would be driven to a second apartment for the abortion, then return to the “front” post-procedure. In the weeks following, a Jane member would follow up with the patient to discuss her recovery.
When Nick’s lack of medical training was discovered, Jane members began assisting with the procedure and gained the confidence to perform abortions themselves. Eventually, the Collective was discovered, and several members were arrested. Legal proceedings were delayed until Roe v. Wade came before the Supreme Court. After the Roe decision, the charges against the arrested members were dropped, and Jane dissolved.
Women march down State Street and meet for a rally at the Civic Center (Richard J. Daley Plaza), 50 West Washington Street, for the first women’s liberation march since 1916, ed reproductive rights, child care, and equal pay, Chicago, May 15, 1971. ST-20003470-0028, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM
After the overturning of Roe with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) decision, many have noted similarities in the current state of reproductive freedoms to that of the 1960s and ’70s. Recently, the Museum has drawn comparisons to the social and civil movements of this era in the exhibition Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s, which features a pro-choice poster made by the CWLU.
“Abortion is a Personal Decision, Not A Legal Debate,” designed by the Chicago Women’s Graphics Collective, 1972. Photograph by CHM staff.
Through Civic Season, a celebration that spans from Juneteenth to Independence Day, and our current exhibitions, the Chicago History Museum urges visitors to stay civically engaged and be curious about the landscape of our democracy, including judicial decisions. Being an engaged citizen does not always mean starting your own underground abortion service; as evidenced in Designing for Change, all forms of civic engagement hold importance. Though the climate of America is ever-changing, your involvement in democracy is a constant in shaping our collective future.
Additional Resources
Sources
- Discussing the book The Story of Jane: The Legendary Feminist Abortion Service with the author and former member of Jane, Laura Kaplan, with Studs Terkel, Studs Terkel Radio Archive, January 22, 1996.
- Laura Kaplan, The Story of Jane: The Legendary Feminist Abortion Service (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997).
- K. K. Ottesen, “Meet the Woman Who Started an Underground Abortion Network in the 1960s.” The Washington Post, August 23, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/08/23/abortion-janes-roe-vs-wade-supreme-court/.
- Margaret Strobel, “Chicago Women’s Liberation Union,” Encyclopedia of Chicago, accessed November 19, 2024, http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1372.html.
We’d like to extend a special thanks to You’re Wrong About podcast host Sarah Marshall and guest Moira Donegan for sparking our interest in this topic with their episode “The Jane Collective with Moira Donegan.”
