, the issue of race comes up in a scene where the characters played by Weaver and Mosaku have a heated discussion about racism and how Black women in particular were being sidelined within the group. And in, Leaner shares her thoughts about being one of the few Black women who was part of the Jane network for years.
All the movies about the Jane network affirm that the group had a policy to be nonjudgmental and empathetic to all the people who needed their services. The emphasis wasn’t on finding out why a pregnancy was being terminated but on how to best help the usually terrified women and girls who needed these services.
In an era when men were the vast majority of obstetricians, gynecologists, and attorneys, it was not unusual for men in these professions to be allies of the Jane network. “There were lawyers who helped the Janes stay out of jail,” Lessin comments. “There were doctors advising the Janes and referring patients to the Janes. There were clergy involved in referring people and counseling women.”: “The mob [Mafia] involvement in the abortion services in Chicago at that time.
, when women and girls with botched illegal abortions would often be unloaded in overcrowded rooms and sometimes wouldn‘t make it out alive.co-director Pildes tells Women’s Media Center that uncovering this information was the most surprising finding for her.
“We made a film that we hope will move people not just to tears but to action,” says Lessin. “At the very least, we hope that it will make people think about what it was like in this country at a time when there was no federal protection over abortion care.
Love this!!!