This fascinating political look at a little-known chapter in women's history tells the story of "Jane", the Chicago-based women's health group who performed nearly 12,000 safe illegal abortions between 1969 and 1973 with no formal medical training. As Jane members describe finding feminism and clients describe finding Jane, archival footage and recreations mingle to depict how the repression of the early sixties and social movements of the late sixties influenced this unique group. Both vital knowledge and meditation on the process of empowerment, Jane: An Abortion Service showcases the importance of preserving women's knowledge in the face of revisionist history.
"This wonderful film is necessary viewing for an understanding of this period and a rousing example of ordinary people making history." Marlene Gerber Freid Hampshire College
"Polished, revealing...a powerful message of self-determination." Stephen Holden The New York Times
Citation
Main credits
Kirtz, Kate (film director)
Kirtz, Kate (film producer)
Lundy, Nell (film director)
Lundy, Nell (film producer)
Other credits
Camera, Nell Lundy, Kate Kirtz; music, Seth Geltman.