In the four years before the Roe v. Wade ruling made abortion legal in the United States, a clandestine organization of Chicago women offered low-cost, safe and confidential services to over 11,000 women—the Jane Collective. The film “Jane: An Abortion Service” offers an invaluable oral history, through the words of women who founded, operated, and consulted the service.

The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University hosted a film talkback with Judith Arcana, member of the Jane Collective and longtime teacher of literature, writing and women’s studies. Arcana shared her own fascinating history with Jane in conversation with Amy Partridge, Senior Lecturer in Gender & Sexuality Studies.

February 2, 2019