I just finished "The Story of Jane: the legendary underground feminist abortion service" By Laura Kaplan. What an amazing story. These women provided services to women in Chicago from 1969 until Roe V Wade was decided. They performed over 11,000 abortions after being trained by a man who was also not a doctor. They did not have one single patient who they performed an abortion on die. Nobody was turned away because she didn't have money, and no woman had to face a doctor who demanded sexual service before he did the abortion in addition to his payment. This book is an incredible history of what I view as a very scary time, that, if some people have their way, we may very well return to. I got the book for my daughter because I wanted her to understand what things were like before Roe V Wade and why it was such an important decision. What I didn't realize was the courage of the women who worked to help make sure other women were provided a service that was as medically safe as they could make it. Those women are my heros.
And, of course, my mom and grandmothers... but they are stories that maybe I should write some day.
