1 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stuff 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: I Never Told You production of iHeart Radio. So we 3 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:25,120 Speaker 1: recently did a feminist movie Friday on the Jains, which 4 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: is uh an HBO documentary about the Jain Collective. And 5 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: uh it's something we've been talking about a lot, given 6 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: what's going on with rov weight in the United States, 7 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 1: um an abortion in the United States. And on her podcast, 8 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 1: on Bridget Todd's podcast, there are No Girls on the Internet, 9 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: she recently we ran this, but we thought we would 10 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 1: too because it's just something we really wanna get out everywhere. UM, 11 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: So we have a classic for you on the Jain 12 00:00:52,159 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: Collective and please enjoy. Hey, this is Bridget and you're 13 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: listening the Stuff Mom Never told you. And today we're 14 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: continuing our series all about Abortion, bringing you stories about 15 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,759 Speaker 1: abortion that you might not know about. And today's story 16 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: is the Jain Collective. Now I want you to imagine 17 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,480 Speaker 1: it's nineteen seventy you're pregnant and you need not to 18 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: be but row of you Aide is a few years away. 19 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: An abortion is still illegal now before this landmark nineteen 20 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: seventy three Supreme Court decision terminating a pregnancy meant taking 21 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,679 Speaker 1: a gamble on a back alley abortion provider. Maybe they'd 22 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: be competent, maybe they wouldn't be. But when you're pregnant 23 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 1: and desperate, you don't really have a lot of options. 24 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: For women living in the sixties and seventies, this was 25 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: a reality, and then on Chicago South Side, women began 26 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: organizing an underground network to do something about it. In 27 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty, Heather Booth was a nineteen year old college 28 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 1: student at the University of Chicago. Her friend's sister was 29 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: pregnant and needed an abortion. Now. Booth had been active 30 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: in the civil rights movement and connected her friend's sister 31 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: to a doctor willing to perform in a a legal abortion. 32 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: After that, she started getting more and more calls from women, housewives, students, 33 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: and the siblings of police officers. That's when Booth knew 34 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: she needed to start a network, known officially as the 35 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,640 Speaker 1: Abortion Counseling Service of Women's Liberation. Heather Booth started an 36 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: underground network to connect women to abortions, using the code 37 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: name Jane. As it was still a crime, I remember 38 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:37,640 Speaker 1: this ad that said pregnant need help, called Jane, So 39 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 1: I called Jane. Jane. Ultimately served over ten thousand women 40 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: before a Row of View Wade made abortion legal in 41 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: nine In the beginning, the network connected pregnant women with doctors, 42 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: but eventually they realized that many of the people providing 43 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: abortions weren't doctors at all. That's when the women and 44 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: Jane started performing abortions themselves. The women were not doctors, 45 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,359 Speaker 1: but according to the Chicago Tribune, their skills were attested 46 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: to by a doctor who risked his license by doing 47 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 1: post operative checkups on clients. At this point, the Jane 48 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: Collective was providing abortions for as many as sixty women 49 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: a week. Jane's facilities were raided by the police. During 50 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: the raid, police asked all the women identify the doctor 51 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: who was performing the abortions, obviously expecting to find a man, 52 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: but there was no man. The group was arrested and 53 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: the media called them the Jane Seven. After being indicted 54 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: by a grand jury, their case was only dismissed thanks 55 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: to the Supreme Courts legalization of abortion in nineteen. After 56 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: this quick break, we'll hear from Heather Booth about how 57 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: Jane got started. Today. I am so so humbled and 58 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: thrilled to be joined by the legendary Heather Booth. Heather, 59 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: thank you so much for being well you are your 60 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 1: your a legend. Well, I'm so glad to be talking 61 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: with the amazing bridget Todd and what service you're doing 62 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 1: for the public providing this information out about some of 63 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: the stories that are not as well known exactly. That's 64 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: really what we want to do with this series. Everybody 65 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: feels like they know a lot about abortion and about 66 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: you know, reproductive health, but there are so many stories 67 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: about abortion in choice that people might not know. You know, 68 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 1: the Jaine Network was such a critical thing for these 69 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 1: women who were living, you know, while before Reviewade was enacted, 70 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: and you know, people don't even really know about it. 71 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:34,360 Speaker 1: Glad to describe of how it came about and and uh, 72 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: I appreciate your spreading the word to let people know 73 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:44,279 Speaker 1: that if we organize, we can change the world. We 74 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: have changed the world, and we need to change the 75 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,799 Speaker 1: world and the story of organizing the Jane Network is 76 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 1: one important example of that. So let's talk about Jane. 77 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:56,679 Speaker 1: So when you started Jane, you were just a nineteen 78 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:59,160 Speaker 1: year old student at the University of Chicago. So what 79 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 1: was your life before you started Jane. Yeah, a little 80 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: bit about my life and also a little bit about 81 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: what women's lives were like in general. Ah. For me, 82 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: I was brought up in a family UH that was 83 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:17,359 Speaker 1: very loving and believed that people should uh follow the 84 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: Golden rule. We should treat each other as we wanted 85 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: to be treated, and I carried that with me. I 86 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: became active in the civil rights movement. In nineteen sixty four. 87 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: I went to Mississippi with the Freedom Summer Project, and 88 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 1: some of you may have heard about it, because that 89 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: was the time when the Civil rights movement was recruiting 90 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 1: northern students to come down to Mississippi because in Mississippi, 91 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:46,599 Speaker 1: black lives did not matter in nineteen sixty four, and 92 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: they thought that the attention of northern students might bring 93 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:58,159 Speaker 1: additional visibility and potential power to shine a spotlight on 94 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: what was going on in Mississippi. And during that summer, 95 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: the three young men, Andrew Goodman, James Cheney, and Michael 96 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: Schwerner were killed at the hands of the clan. What 97 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:12,919 Speaker 1: people may not know is that while they were looking 98 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: for the bodies of the three men, they found bodies 99 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: of other black men whose hands have been bound or 100 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:22,040 Speaker 1: feet chopped off. And those murders weren't even investigated once 101 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:27,520 Speaker 1: the bodies were found until years later. But because people organized, 102 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:31,599 Speaker 1: there was a voting right back within a year, and 103 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 1: Mississippi now is more African American elected officials than any 104 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,640 Speaker 1: other state in the country. And mentioned that because it 105 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 1: was formative for some of the ideas that led to Jane, 106 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: which is that you have to stand up to unjust authority. 107 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:50,720 Speaker 1: If you take action, you can make change, and that 108 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: sometimes there even are risks, but together we can really 109 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:59,480 Speaker 1: build a better world. I returned back to my campus 110 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: and a friend of mine had been raped at nice 111 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:07,159 Speaker 1: point in her bed in off campus housing. We went 112 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: with her to Student Help to get a gynecological exam 113 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: for her, but was told that Students Help didn't cover 114 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: gynecological exam and she was given a lecture on the promiscuity. Now, 115 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: because we sat with her, they called it to sit in. 116 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 1: But over time, because people protested and organized, now Students 117 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 1: Health would cover gynecological exams and people would be given 118 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 1: careful comforting counseling, and there also is support and attention 119 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: about the crisis of rape on campus. Those changes happened 120 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 1: because people organized. We still look much further to go. 121 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 1: There's still our attacks on Women's health plan parents that 122 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,640 Speaker 1: is under attack, but we make progress when we organized, 123 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: and those were some of the lessons that I learned 124 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 1: also from the civil rights movement on the campus. To 125 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: give a sense of how women were treated broadly UM, 126 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: I formed a pulled together a group called the Women's 127 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:19,960 Speaker 1: Radical Action Program or wrapped w r A, and we 128 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:26,239 Speaker 1: did studies about UM and supported women to promote women's 129 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: positions on campus. This it's probably was the first campus 130 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 1: women's organization of the new and emerging women's movement in 131 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: and we found that professors gave four times as much 132 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: attention to men's students as to women's students, called the 133 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: significant response, how often would a teacher actually engage with 134 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:57,719 Speaker 1: the students? And because of that and other things, we 135 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:02,440 Speaker 1: found ways to support women on campus UM. The foundly 136 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 1: was discrimination against women faculty members. They mostly were kept 137 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 1: as adjunct professors and not allowed on a tenure track. 138 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: And there were other issues that people need to understand 139 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: the emergence of Jane within the context of lessons from 140 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 1: an emerging movement in civil rights, context of UM changes 141 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:32,960 Speaker 1: going on in the society where on the one hand, 142 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:38,679 Speaker 1: women were at the universities and entering into into public life, 143 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:41,679 Speaker 1: and yet we're not treated equally. So there was this 144 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:47,439 Speaker 1: emerging women's movement developing, and also in the context of 145 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:52,960 Speaker 1: the values that many of us shared, believing that there 146 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:58,439 Speaker 1: should be a country that treated all people equally, gave 147 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 1: people equal support and and respect. I love that. So really, 148 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:07,600 Speaker 1: one of the big takeaways from what you've done with 149 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: Jane is that organizing and people power can really change 150 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:15,600 Speaker 1: culture and change laws and change lives that you know, 151 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:19,559 Speaker 1: oftentimes we feel, at least I feel overwhelmed that oh, 152 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 1: just little on me. What can I do to change this? 153 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 1: This seems so bad up against so many fights, But 154 00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: actually if you're if you really work hard and organized, 155 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 1: you can change things. Absolutely absolutely to bring us up 156 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 1: to Jane to explain how my involvement with that and 157 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: how that developed against this backdrop, um, a friend of 158 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:47,079 Speaker 1: mine told me her sister was pregnant and was nearly 159 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 1: suicidal because she wasn't ready to have a baby and 160 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: she wanted an abortion. I have never thought about the 161 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 1: issue before that, I recall, and I've never had to 162 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 1: face the issue myself, but I said, I tried to 163 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:03,880 Speaker 1: do what I could do to help again, sort of 164 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: as part of the Golden rule, trying to one to others. 165 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 1: I went to the network of doctors from the Medical 166 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:19,200 Speaker 1: Committee for Human Rights, which was the Civil Rights Medical Arms, 167 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:24,640 Speaker 1: and I found a doctor, doctor TRM. Howard, who had 168 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: a clinic on sixty three Street in Chicago, Friendship Clinic UM. 169 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: I didn't know its history at the time, but he 170 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 1: had been a dynamic civil rights leader in Mississippi and 171 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: came to Chicago when his name appeared on a clan 172 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: death list. I called him up. He agreed to do 173 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:51,040 Speaker 1: the procedure next Sally. I didn't really think much more 174 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:55,320 Speaker 1: about it, but word must have spread because short time 175 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 1: later someone else called. I thought it was a coincidence 176 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 1: in in where it must have spread, and someone else called. 177 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:07,079 Speaker 1: At that point I realized they really one is the 178 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 1: broader problem that needed to be addressed, and being an organizer, 179 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: I decided to create a system and called it Jane. 180 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:23,719 Speaker 1: Over time, the women of Jane themselves performed eleven thousand 181 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 1: abortions between nineteen six and nine seventy three. When Roe 182 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: became the law of the land and the experience of 183 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: Jane both improved the lives of the women who came 184 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:43,199 Speaker 1: through who are looking for a way to decide when 185 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:47,199 Speaker 1: or whether they could have a child. It changed the 186 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:52,959 Speaker 1: lives of the women who were in Jane, letting them 187 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: know what they could do to improve the lives of 188 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:02,840 Speaker 1: women on a broad scale. UM. And it also provided 189 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:07,760 Speaker 1: a basis giving people confidence. I hope now to say 190 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 1: we can make change if we organize. So let's say 191 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:15,240 Speaker 1: that I'm a woman who calls Jane. Can you walk 192 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 1: me through the logistics once I call? What happened? Well, first, 193 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 1: there were too UM kind of two or three eras 194 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 1: of Jane the era's UM. When I first started it, 195 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: it was a very small service. It just kept growing 196 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:36,720 Speaker 1: and growing. When it started, someone would call up and 197 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: ask for Jane. And even before they said they were 198 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,080 Speaker 1: asking for Jane, I knew immediately there was a sort 199 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,640 Speaker 1: of hesitant pause on the phone, and I just knew 200 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: immediately what they were probably calling about. UM. They say 201 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:59,120 Speaker 1: what that? They usually said some version that they were pregnant, UM, 202 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,920 Speaker 1: and we're looking for an abortion for some women. We 203 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:06,839 Speaker 1: do the counseling on the phone. We then trying to 204 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,600 Speaker 1: arrange a time where they could come in and have 205 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 1: a longer conversation and could talk with them and find 206 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: out what the details were. Long they were I had 207 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:23,760 Speaker 1: been pregnant, what the medical history was a little bit, um. 208 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,800 Speaker 1: And then we'll just go through the details of what 209 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: to expect. Um. They want to know what how long 210 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:38,040 Speaker 1: does it take, would there be pain, their side effects? 211 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 1: What do you need to do afterwards, how to take 212 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: care of yourself if there are any uh medical complications, 213 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:50,600 Speaker 1: what they need to do, who they call. We go 214 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 1: through how much it cost. Initially Jane costs five um, 215 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: though we negotiated down the prices. The number of people 216 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 1: came through and then went for two for the price 217 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: of one. That we got it down to two fifty 218 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 1: dollars and then even sometimes got three for the price 219 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: of one. We sometimes I would ask for special arrangement 220 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:23,920 Speaker 1: if someone didn't have money, and and then we arranged 221 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: where people would go, where they would meet, how they 222 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: would get picked up, um, that someone should be with 223 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: them to care of them, um, you know, to be 224 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 1: with them as they as they left after the procedure. 225 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,640 Speaker 1: That was the first stage of Jane, where I was 226 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 1: doing the counseling and Dr Howard had explained to me 227 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:54,840 Speaker 1: in a lot of detail what was involved. Dr Howard 228 00:15:54,880 --> 00:16:00,200 Speaker 1: died natural causes, and I found another person and to 229 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:05,560 Speaker 1: provide the procedures. His name was Mike and uh we've 230 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:12,119 Speaker 1: basically had the same process, though he had a suburban 231 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: effort and UM the numbers were increasing so much as 232 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 1: the numbers of people coming through. I was about to 233 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 1: have my first child, and I was very busy and 234 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:32,640 Speaker 1: many other things to getting a graduate degree UM, working 235 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 1: on other social change issues, and I realized I couldn't 236 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:42,160 Speaker 1: handle it all just myself, and so I decided I 237 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 1: needed to recruit other people to be involved with this, 238 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:49,120 Speaker 1: and I go to meetings and at the end of 239 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 1: the meeting would say, if anyone wants to be involved 240 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:58,600 Speaker 1: in abortion counseling, please see me. And I recruited a 241 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,280 Speaker 1: number of people. We did a training and made sure 242 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:06,560 Speaker 1: that everyone understood the process and would provide the high 243 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:09,399 Speaker 1: quality of care that we wanted to see for all 244 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:13,679 Speaker 1: the women who came through UM. And then with that 245 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,359 Speaker 1: I turned over the effort to another group of women 246 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: out Jodie Parsons and Ruth's Cercle with the two leads 247 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:29,760 Speaker 1: women who helped coordinate it. At that point, As the 248 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:35,240 Speaker 1: numbers increased, more hands were needed. One person doing the 249 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:41,399 Speaker 1: procedures wasn't going to be enough. And then it also 250 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:46,119 Speaker 1: turned out that the women that were helping might do 251 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:51,280 Speaker 1: the procedures. And then Mike shared that he actually wasn't 252 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:55,400 Speaker 1: a license position, and they thought, well, if he could 253 00:17:55,400 --> 00:18:01,000 Speaker 1: do it, so could they. Now though this was the 254 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:03,600 Speaker 1: women doing the procedures starting to learn how to do 255 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:11,120 Speaker 1: the procedures, it was actually probably safer than this medical 256 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 1: procedure being done in a hospital or clinic or other settings. 257 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:20,720 Speaker 1: Partly because it was illegal. UH. Everyone wanted it to 258 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 1: be as safe as possible so that no one would 259 00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: be hard, no one would be UM, there wouldn't be 260 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: a UM an adverse effect. It also was a women's 261 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 1: culture who cared about women, and so the priority wasn't 262 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:40,200 Speaker 1: the profit making. It was the care for women and 263 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:47,920 Speaker 1: for their wishes. They're also UM. It was the only 264 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,399 Speaker 1: thing that they were doing, and so there was a 265 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,159 Speaker 1: lot of attention on it. It's not like you were 266 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 1: getting lost in the shuffle of oh, am I doing 267 00:18:55,280 --> 00:19:01,159 Speaker 1: an app inductivity or am i UH doing a different 268 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:08,960 Speaker 1: procedures UM. In fact, at the after row became the 269 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:11,440 Speaker 1: law of the land. That was a study done by 270 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: University of Illinois program called the pre Sectorship, which was 271 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:23,560 Speaker 1: about entry into uh positive medical care within Chicago, and 272 00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:27,919 Speaker 1: they did an analysis of the outcome from Jane and 273 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 1: the outcomes from clinic service for abortion and found that 274 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: the results from Jane were more positive than the results 275 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:40,840 Speaker 1: in a clinic setting, again, I think for the reasons 276 00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:46,639 Speaker 1: that I just mentioned. So at that point the women 277 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:53,240 Speaker 1: started to take on doing procedures themselves, and in the 278 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:57,919 Speaker 1: course of that, there was a larger group that was 279 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:00,879 Speaker 1: recruited to actually be the service, which is what we 280 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 1: called it, what they called it Jane or the service, 281 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 1: And as women came in, there was a a front 282 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:15,159 Speaker 1: or one apartment someone's apartment that was designed in a 283 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:20,600 Speaker 1: very cozy, homely supportive way. Sometimes they were kids there, 284 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:22,879 Speaker 1: and a number of weight of women who would be 285 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:28,879 Speaker 1: waiting for their own procedure would gather there and in 286 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: a supportive environment, and then they would be taken to 287 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: the apartment where the procedures would be done, and then 288 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 1: they were supported and given care while they were recovering 289 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:48,399 Speaker 1: from the procedure, and then would be sent off as 290 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:53,160 Speaker 1: full information um about what to do if there are 291 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:55,879 Speaker 1: any issues if there often are with any medical procedures 292 00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: and given health and then UH told umbers to call 293 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:06,840 Speaker 1: and people could be in touch with them afterwards to 294 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:09,679 Speaker 1: make sure that everything worked out. Okay, So that was 295 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: the broad process. There's a book about Jane by Laura 296 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:20,440 Speaker 1: Kaplan called Jane Because Jane an abortion Story. There's also 297 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 1: a movie about it, and actually I'm now told there's 298 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:27,680 Speaker 1: at least two Hollywood made movies that are being made 299 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:31,440 Speaker 1: about Jane, as well as a new documentary, and they're 300 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 1: more details of it captured in the book UH that 301 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 1: Laura Kaplan wrote about Jane. So, Heather, now you're a 302 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 1: part of this really robust tradition of Jewish activism. I 303 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,160 Speaker 1: actually read some place that at one point you wanted 304 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:48,439 Speaker 1: to be a rabbi, but that you heard that women 305 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:52,160 Speaker 1: couldn't be rabbis. Do you feel like your background, as 306 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:55,919 Speaker 1: you know, part of the robust legacy of Jewish activism 307 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:59,160 Speaker 1: and social change work. Did that also impact your work 308 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 1: with Jane. Indeed, it was part of my moral upbringing. 309 00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:11,560 Speaker 1: I believed, as it's said in the Bible, justice justice 310 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: that shall pursue, saying justice twice because it's that important, 311 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:24,080 Speaker 1: really believing UH that the stories of the prophets should 312 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:30,320 Speaker 1: guide us in some ways, that it's the people who 313 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:36,439 Speaker 1: should rise and not just those in wealth and power. UM. 314 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 1: There also was a history of struggle of the past 315 00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:46,679 Speaker 1: over story pants overs coming, and the story of people 316 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:51,680 Speaker 1: even going forty years in the desert to us the 317 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:59,199 Speaker 1: land of greater promise h to to escape oppressions, and 318 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:04,240 Speaker 1: I believe that was a tradition that was worth embracing. 319 00:23:04,359 --> 00:23:07,399 Speaker 1: So that was part of the moral lu ringing that 320 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 1: I had, and had tried to carry that on into 321 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:17,400 Speaker 1: the organizing work I've done, and since that time, I've 322 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: tried to carry it on in so many ways. I 323 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:24,719 Speaker 1: started a training center for organizers called Midwest Academy. People 324 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:29,720 Speaker 1: encourage your listeners to pursue Midwest Academy because it's a 325 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: it's a place to learn the skills of organizing UM. 326 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 1: Their website is www. Midwest Academy dot com UM. I've 327 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:47,320 Speaker 1: also ended up running some large scale organizations for advising them. 328 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:51,240 Speaker 1: I was strategic advisor for the immigration reform campaign, the 329 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: Alliance for Citizenship. I ran the campaign for financial reform 330 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:59,959 Speaker 1: that won the Dodd's Bank Bill. I with the coordinator 331 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 1: around the marriage equality campaign. Um I just was the 332 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 1: field director around the campaign to stop these of tax 333 00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:12,399 Speaker 1: breaks for the millionaires and billionaires. That will mean that 334 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:17,560 Speaker 1: there will be an excuse to make cuts in social security, 335 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: Medicare and medicaid, and education and other essential human services. 336 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:29,040 Speaker 1: So the struggle continues and right now people, I think especially, 337 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:32,399 Speaker 1: need to learn this lesson that even when time seemed 338 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 1: the most difficult, we can make progress if we organize, 339 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:41,199 Speaker 1: and if we organized, we can change the world, and 340 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,119 Speaker 1: we need to change the world. I could not have 341 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: put it better myself. These fights are still fights that 342 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:49,600 Speaker 1: need to be fought. And we can get complacent and 343 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:52,200 Speaker 1: we can get comfortable, but as you said, we need 344 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:55,119 Speaker 1: to be organizing. And I'm so glad that you're in 345 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: the fight doing this work with us because we need you, Heather, 346 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: and I'm so glad that we have you well, and 347 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,480 Speaker 1: I'm so glad that we have you, Uh read the words, 348 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:08,399 Speaker 1: spread the message. I'm so glad we have those who 349 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:12,159 Speaker 1: are listing in. I hope they'll take they probably have 350 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:16,399 Speaker 1: been taking action. We need to continue taking action and 351 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:22,520 Speaker 1: unify and give people confidence that we can organize and 352 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: when we organize even in times that seemed the most difficult. 353 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:30,119 Speaker 1: We have changed the world in the past, and we 354 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: can change the world for the future. Let's take a 355 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:44,199 Speaker 1: quick break. Well it's been to listeners now. I know 356 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:46,240 Speaker 1: abortion can seem like an issue that we no longer 357 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:47,920 Speaker 1: have to fight for that we did in the seventies, 358 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:51,680 Speaker 1: but that's actually not true. In March, Mississippi's governor signed 359 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 1: a law banning abortion at fifteen weeks, the earliest abortion 360 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:57,239 Speaker 1: ban in the country. The law is temporarily blocked by 361 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:00,360 Speaker 1: a federal judge, and some states only have one left 362 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:04,080 Speaker 1: that provides abortions thanks to restrictions specifically aimed at forcing 363 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:08,359 Speaker 1: providers to close. Reproductive freedom is constantly under attack, so 364 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:11,119 Speaker 1: let's stay vigilant and get organized to help protect our 365 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:13,639 Speaker 1: right to access. What did you think of Heather story 366 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:16,639 Speaker 1: Let me know. You can find us on Instagram at 367 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:19,920 Speaker 1: Stuff I've Never Told You, on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast, 368 00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:22,960 Speaker 1: and as always, we love getting your emails at mom 369 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:35,400 Speaker 1: Stuff at how stuff works dot com.