Reproductive rights continue to face resistance, limitations, and a lack of implementation since Roe v. Wade in 1973.
The Jane Collective: Women's Rights in Secrecy
Conclusion: Post-Roe v. Wade
"Four years later Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, which banned the use of federal Medicaid dollars for abortion. Only seventeen states continue to fund abortions for poor women. Eighty percent of counties in the United States have no abortion services. Half of medical schools do not teach doctors abortion techniques."
Laura Kaplan, 1995, The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service
Since then, Roe v. Wade has been at risk of being overturned, demonstrating the continued lack of certainty in reproductive healthcare as a woman’s right.
"[The Jane Collective] is a lesson that even in the darkest of hours, with the most unjust of laws restricting their right to self-determination, women can and do act—by coming together to help other women."
Kelly Suzanne O'Donnell, 2017, Signs
"The Supreme Court can overturn Roe v. Wade, and probably will, but women will have abortions. They had illegal ones before Roe and they will again, if that’s what they must do."
Linda Rocawich, 1992, The Progressive
Following the 2022 case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe, many states have applied abortion bans. While January 2025 would have marked 52 years of Roe, women like Amber Thurman continue to face death due to the loss of abortion rights. Despite this, as the efforts of the Jane Collective remind us, it is imperative that we work to regain social rights for any and all marginalized communities, even if we are not personally affected. As citizens and residents of the United States, we all remain responsible for challenging such injustices and fighting for the social rights of others, including reproductive rights for women.
Heather Booth, 2022, Associated Press Interview
Jeanne Galatzer-Levy, 2021, Jewish Women's Archive Interview
The Janes (2022), HBO
The Janes (2022), HBO
The Janes (2022), HBO