Best of: How did women access 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
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
A version of this conversation originally aired on June 22, 2022 and January 19, 2023.