The Jane Legacy
During a time in which abortion was illegal, expensive and at times dangerous, Jane members showed extreme dedication and commitment to helping women access safe abortions. As Jane evolved from a single woman operation in a university dormitory to a large scale operation that helped over 11,000 women, came the development of a feminist collective that recognized a problem and provided a solution.[41] When faced with the challenging transition from referring to providing abortions, Jane members could have sought out another abortionist to perform the procedures or closed the operation altogether but this is not what they chose. Empowered by the newly possessed knowledge on the female body, women within this feminist collective continued to take power into their own hands and provide abortions themselves. This dedication transcended even the worst of times as Jane members continued to perform abortions in secret after seven of the Jane members were arrested during the abortion raid. It was not until abortion became legal with the passing of Roe v. Wade that the service disbanded.[42] Yet, this was not the end of the Jane story. Rather, the service has been referenced in propaganda during the second-wave feminist movement as the fight for women's reproductive rights continued. Bonded by their collective struggle within the fight for women's reproductive rights, Jane members joined the fight, speculum in hand, willing to find a way when there was none.
To learn more about what changed- and more importantly what didn't -when abortion became legalized, see the exhibit titled "Roe V. Wade & it's Immediate Impact" by Tania Robinson.