Best Of: Abortions in Illinois before Roe v. Wade
Anti-abortion and abortion-rights activists argue their viewpoints on the steps of the State House in Trenton, N.J., April 30, 1973. AP Photo
Editor's Note: This segment originally aired May 2022.
Before Roe v. Wade recognized a constitutional right to abortion across America, women still found ways to end their pregnancies. In Illinois, that meant seeking help from an underground, feminist abortion service operating under the code name “Jane.”
GUESTS
Leslie J. Reagan
Professor of History, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | Author, When Abortion Was a Crime
Eileen Smith
Worked with the Abortion Counseling Service in Chicago (a.k.a Jane)
Received an abortion in Illinois before it was legally protected
Martha Scott
Worked with the Abortion Counseling Service in Chicago (a.k.a Jane)
Laura Kaplan
Author, The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service