>Likely Candidate for involvement.
Origins
Heather Booth, the founder of the Jane Collective
In 1965, University of Chicago student Heather Booth learned that her friend's sister had an unwanted pregnancy that left her distraught and nearly suicidal.[6][7] Booth had previously not given much thought to abortion access; her exposure to the experience of an unwanted pregnancy led her to consider abortion restrictions as unjust laws, saying, "in the face of an unjust law, you need to take action to challenge it".[6] To seek assistance for her friend's sister, Booth contacted the Medical Committee for Human Rights, who connected her with civil rights leader and surgeon T. R. M. Howard. Howard worked at the Friendship Medical Center in Chicago, and Booth sent her friend to his facility. Word spread that Booth was able to help women obtain safe abortions, and she soon began receiving calls from other women. Operating under the pseudonym "Jane",[6] Booth began taking such phone calls at her college dormitory, referring more clients to Howard, who performed the abortions for $500.[6] Booth later switched to an abortionist alternately referred to as "Mike"[8] or "Nick".[9]
Location of Hyde Park, Chicago, where the Jane Collective was founded
Outcomes and legacy
In the seven years that the group existed, they performed an estimated 11,000 abortions.[17] There were no reports of abortion-related death as a result of their work, though one member, Martha Scott, recalled that some of their patients ended up having to go to the emergency room afterwards, while others had to undergo hysterectomies.[11] One obstetrician who provided follow-up visits for the Collective's patients stated that their safety rate was comparable to legally operating clinics in New York.[14]
The story of the Jane Collective has been called a "motivational call to arms".[18] Haven Coalition, a non-profit in New York City that helps out-of-town women access abortions in the city, draws inspiration from the Jane Collective for their operations.[6] Though abortion remains legal in the US, it has become increasingly restricted: By 2018, more than 1,100 abortion restrictions had been passed in the US, and the number of abortion clinics declined by nearly half since the late 1970s.[19] A volunteer with the Haven Coalition stated, "There’s an effort to sort of preserve the vestiges of what used to be an underground railroad and something that might be again", alluding to the possibility that abortion could become illegal in the US once again.[6] The Jane Collective has also been cited as inspiration to a loose network of American women who provide illegal abortions.[19]
Representation in film
The Janes, a feature length documentary which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes.[20]
Call Jane, a historical drama starring Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver. The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and was directed by Oscar-nominee Phyllis Nagy. [21]
Jane: An Abortion Service, a 1995 documentary about the Jane Collective.[22]
Ask for Jane, a 2018 historical drama film about the Jane Collective. Judith Arcana, a writer, activist, and a real-life member of the Jane Collective is a consulting producer on the film, in addition to making a cameo appearance.[23][24]
This Is Jane, an Amazon Studios historical drama starring Michelle Williams in production as of May 2018.[25]