What we must remember is that the institutions that serve us are not broken. HBO Max's new abortion doc 'The Janes' is timely, but hopeful - NBC News Access to safe and legal abortion: Urgent call for United - OHCHR Powerful evidence of the unimaginable Clara Germani. Wheres the doctor? One Jane would drive them to a home they called the front, where another Jane would counsel them. The film's stories of women's desperation are haunting . We must care with compassion, and unlike in the male-dominated medical establishment, encourage collective care and knowledge. 5 Essential Documentaries About Abortion to Stream Right Now - TheWrap Featuring two of the victims and one interrogator, the film exposes the committees subversive activities and how its effects are still felt today. June: National Right to Life brings together state . Almost daily, the Reproductive Health Services clinic in Montgomery, Alabama, receives several versions of the same call: Are yall still doing abortions?". Access to postabortion contraception. Seven Janes were arrested, along with the clientele in the apartment. & Sepp Seitz Sepp Seitz. UN urged to intervene over destruction of US abortion rights How American Politics Reached This Fraught Moment: 12 Documentaries to Watch Ahead of the Midterms, How the Supreme Courts Conservative Majority Came to Be, Mass Shootings, a Supreme Court Ruling, Bipartisan Legislation: How America Reached This Moment on Guns, From the Archives: How the World's Deadliest Ebola Outbreak Unfolded, Russias Invasion of Ukraine, One Year Later, War Crimes Watch Ukraine: More Than 650 Documented Events, From the Archives: How the U.N. & World Failed Darfur Amid "the 21st Century's First Genocide". Seven Janes were arrested, along with the clientele in the apartment. Scott Goldberg FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. These courageous leaders risked their personal safety and professional livesto meet secretly for six years under the guidance of Essential Partners co-founder Laura R. Chasin and mediator Susan Podziba. Lets hope that incites us to action, and not to despair. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; the Heising-Simons Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen. Editor's note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. The description of the arrest of seven Janes is almost comical. HBO documentary 'The Janes' tells the story of pre-Roe v. Wade abortion South Carolina introduces bill to punish women who have an abortion by Massachusetts Democrat resigns following backlash for comments about Booth had the previous year participated in the Freedom Summer Project in Mississippi, and says she learned "that sometimes you have to stand up to illegitimate authority, and sometimes there are unjust laws that need to be challenged.. The broadcast version of the film is significantly different from the film festival version, in that it highlights USFs role in bringing media attention to the Johns Committee, ultimately causing the committees downfall. UCF Office of Instructional Resources Merrick Garland grilled on anti-Catholic, pro-abortion bias during To help you learn more about the history behind this courts contentious ruling, TheWrap has gathered five essential documentaries to watch. Anti-abortion activists have tapped into that sentiment in Virginia and elsewhere and are proposing changes to zoning laws to stop the clinics from moving in. The U.S. Supreme Court intends to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to a draft majority opinion Politico obtained and published May 2. MONICA MONTICELLO, MONICA MONTICELLO KAREN GRAVES They felt compelled to do this even as they understood their own limitations.. Legislation across the U.S. indicates that states are bracing for the potential of a post-Roe world. 'The Janes' on HBO Is a Painfully Relevant Abortion Rights Documentary Members were able to set up a much more compassionate setting that was respectful to women, she said. ! they shouted, going from room to room looking for a male physician. He said he often gets asked how its possible to represent a population with such a wide range in income and wealth disparity. The assurance, the trust, the respect I got when I tell you they changed my life, they changed my life., She added, holding back tears, When I saw women caring about women it was a whole new world for me., The Jane Collective is estimated to have provided around 11,000 abortions from 1969 to 1973. And in addition to offering a deeply personal window into choices the women faced in unplanned pregnancies, the film examined the steadfast belief of the anti-abortion community that there should be no choice at all. When an Abortion Story Is Told as a Caper, Thriller or Farce Inspired by Depression-era photographer Walker Evans whose iconic work documented rural poverty on behalf of the Interior and Agriculture departments the committee assigned itself some creative extra credit: producing a documentary movie. He would assist Dr. Cassanello and Dr. Mills in guiding the students through the various technical and creative facets of the film's post-production and marketing phases. Members of the underground group informally known as Jane. The 1960s, culturally, was rooted in the belief that we are the change we seek, and that radical societal change was possible. Women dying in septic abortion wards from self-induced efforts (one OB-GYN interviewed recalls seeing a woman who used carbolic acid), and clandestine abortions gone wrong. We came together to do something at a time when it was most needed, collective member Laura Kaplan said at the documentarys conclusion. It uses medicine or surgery to remove the embryo or fetus and placenta from the uterus. DEL BARCO: The film shows how the Jane Collective was different. Three of the Janes - Heather Booth, Judith Arcana and Marie Lerner - say they hope their story inspires others. A doctor hugs a patient at an abortion clinic in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on 13 January 2023. They say that between 1968 and 1973, they provided free or low-cost abortions to more than 11,000 women. The documentary premiered this week in Washington, and its available to watch on the congressmans website as well as on YouTube. The House State Affairs Committee passed a bill making it illegal for an adult to transport a minor across state lines for an abortion, with the intent to conceal it from the parents or guardians . "We've been telling you for the last 20 years, no one wants that! In this short documentary, FRONTLINE followed a group of African American anti-abortion activists and their work inside the Black community. Drawing on a landmark FRONTLINE film from the 1980s, the documentary takes a look at both sides of the abortion divide in a community still embroiled in the conflict. The Committee - Twin Cities PBS In 1963, 280 deaths were recorded in the U.S. from induced abortions, and in 1965, they dropped to 235, according to Pew Research, which indicated that the numbers fell to single digits or zero every year after Roe v. Wade was decided. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, Photo from The New York Times, July 2, 1969. HBO's 'The Janes' Doc Revisits Underground Abortions as Roe - Newsweek I asked if you thought it was OK. UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA BURNETT HONORS COLLEGE, RUTH JENSEN-FORBELL The actions she took on became known as Women on Waves. But when youre talking about people and their hopes to better themselves economically, you can tell some wonderful stories., Drawing a parallel to the U.S. House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, Himes said, They radically changed the way a congressional committee communicates with the American public and we did the same thing with this documentary.. Lawmakers moving to repeal Michigan's 1931 abortion ban ET June 8), takes you inside an underground network of women providing access to affordable, safe and illegal abortions in Chicago, in the 1960s and 1970s. You can always mobilize to help one another, you can organize, and ultimately thats what matters most, Pildes said. They note that the UN committee has already established that denial of abortion can cause physical and mental suffering so severe in pain and intensity as to amount to torture. The Labrant family's YouTube documentary on abortion was met with immediate contempt on social media. And then it was time to do something else. GEOR, IOWA, KAET, KBDI, KCET, KCPT, KCTS, KENT, KENW, KLRU, KLVX, KNME, KOOD, KPBS, KQED, KQEH, KRCB, KRMA, KRSU, KTOO, KTWU, KVCR, KWSU, NDAK, NEWH, NEWJ, OREG, SDAK, WCET, WCFE, WCVE, WEDU, WFSU, WGBY, WGCU, WILL, WITF, WJCT, WKAR, WLIW, WMHT, WMVS, WNED, WNIN, WNIT, WNMU, WNPT, WOUB, WPBA, WPBT, WPTD, WPTO, WQED, WQPT, WSRE, WTIU, WTVI, WUCF, WUSF, WXXI. After the election of President Donald Trump in 2016,producer Daniel Arcana started developing a project about the Jane Collective, an organization his mother, Judith Arcana, was a part of in the 1960s and 70s. The constant threat of not just being arrested for getting an abortion but for even talking about one which was a felony. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. This story was originally published by Idaho Reports on March 3, 2023. So we had about over 100 counts of felony homicide against us, each of us. 'Abortion Until The Moment Of Birth': Protester Blows Gasket, Gets With the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett days before the 2020 presidential election, conservatives secured a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court and the chance to shape American life and policy, including abortion rights, for a generation. In the film, they describe taking turns helping the women who called. MARIE LERNER: We need to turn the anger, the fear, the concern we've got into protest. No women whom Jane served are known to have died from their abortions. The American Abortion War - Top Documentary Films The class sought out interviews with experts who could speak with authority on the Johns Committee or the current state of LGBTQ affairs in the state of Florida. You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. With lower costs and more scheduling availability (they could sometimes perform up to two dozen abortions a day), women of color from the South Side and West Side of Chicago quickly became their main clients. BOOTH: A friend of mine said that his sister was pregnant, nearly suicidal, not prepared to have a child. The groups in the letter claim that overturning the constitutional right to abortion contravenes the USs international obligations as a UN member organization. The stories and experiences of those interviewed demonstrate how care is a radical act and how it served as the organizational principle that shaped the collectives operations. In 2009, one of the very few remaining providers of third-trimester abortions in the country, Dr. George Tiller, was shot to death. Meryl Streep narrates this touching documentary about African women who are rescued from being outcasts in their villages when giving birth leads to obstetric fistula. KATHRYN PAULSON Directed by Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes, this film spotlights the Chicago-based underground abortion network called The Jane Collective. The film will debut on HBO on Wednesday, June 8 and will then be available to stream on HBO Max. This historical context, now made contemporary in light of the Supreme Courts leaked draft opinion, has set the stage for The Janes, a new documentary premiering on HBO on Wednesday, June 8. Ultimately, just three were included. History of Abortion - ProCon.org The Dobbs ruling pushed the US even further out of line with its human rights obligations, including its obligation to ensure access to abortion and to eliminate structural racism and discrimination, said Annerieke Smaak Daniel, womens rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. Washington D.C., Mar 1, 2023 / 16:45 pm (CNA). The Janes Documentary Shows What Happens When Abortion Illegal - IndieWire But months before her passing, Nick Sweeneys documentary examines how McCorvey overcame poverty, neglect and abuse all while being positioned as the symbol in one of Americas most contentious modern debates. Drawing on a landmark FRONTLINE film from the 1980s, the documentary. In the 2020 documentary AKA Jane Roe, the original anonymous plaintiff of Roe v. Wade, now known to be Norma McCorvey, speaks out about her 1995 decision to condemn abortion. Cole and Savannah LaBrant, who run a family YouTube channel called "The LaBrant Fam" where they have over 13 million subscribers, have faced backlash for releasing a video on April 9 labeled a "documentary" about abortion. U.S. lawmakers began a wide-ranging two-year investigation into U.S. strategic competition with China Tuesday night, with testimony from Chinese human rights activists and former U.S. national . Dialogue participant Melissa Kogut, former head of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, calls this a powerful documentary right when we need it. Frances Hogan, founder of Women Affirming Life describes it as fair, clear and intriguing, and Anne Fowler, a pro-choice Episcopal priest, writes inspiring, brilliantly told.. Jane, nonetheless, is having a moment. Vessel | Home (617) 923-1216, Ext 24, PO Box 400175, Cambridge, MA 02140info@whatisessential.org Especially now. Revisit the documentaries below to understand how America reached this moment. The documentary begins with a cautionary tale. New documentary warns about danger of the abortion pill 'The Janes' before Roe v. Wade: HBO documentary on underground abortion "The Janes" is streaming on HBO Max. Nearly 50 years later, Roe v. Wade could be overturned. Any exceptions allowing abortion in very narrow circumstances for example, where an abortion is necessary to save the life of the pregnant persons life, or when the pregnancy is the result of rape are practically unworkable, the signatories write. later, the body is removed and disposed of as medical waste. The Supreme Courts Dobbs decision has successfully overturned a womans federal right to an abortion; nearly 50 years later, Roe v. Wade is no longer the law of the land. Although some initially hesitated to appear on camera, all of them understood that these rights were slipping away and that these stories were relevant, said Tia Lessin, who co-directed the film with Emma Pildes. Casey allowed states to restrict access, so long as they did not place an undue burden on women seeking the procedure. But now, without having to pay Mike, they remodeled their payment service by reducing the price from $500 to $100 and offering a pay-what-you-can option. Dont want to be? In the letter, the signatories ask recipients to communicate with the US about these violations, to request an official visit to the US, and to ask the country to comply with its obligations under international law as a UN member state. The USs role as a leader on the world stage does not exempt the country from these obligations in fact, it should require them to do more, said a representative from the Global Justice Center, which is one of the signatories. The film points out that Black women and Latinas suffered the most from the criminalization of abortion in Chicago and nationally because they often could not afford to travel abroad or to other states that legalized abortions beginning in 1970. But for what it's worth, I didn't ask how often or when at all it might happen. The documentary provides a somewhat chronological account of their work, ending with the public arrest of several of its members, the threat of long prison sentences, and the interventions of their attorney. Rep. Barbara . The Janes meets our political moment and reinforces the message of people power and that when people organize, they can change the world. Florida Film Festival 2013 This documentary, accompanied by dozens of in-depth interviews published as part of the FRONTLINE Transparency Project, examined then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells decades-long campaign to transform the nations highest court and its profound implications. Taking the lead in the red state race to make The Handmaid's Tale a documentary, South Carolina Republicans have introduced a bill that would impose the death penalty on women who get abortions. Prior to the Roe v. Wade case, the so-called "Janes" built the underground organization and assisted an estimated 11,000 women. The following people and organizations have made the public television broadcast of our film possible through their generous contributions. Saturday, June 24 at 7:30pm. 7 min read. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Lie back and do as I tell you. Now, the American Medical Association is fighting back. We were done. used by permission and protected by the Call Jane.. A timely new HBO doc chronicles a secret group of women who - NPR FRED FEJES Excellent, important, timely, urgent, and needs to be seen and discussed widely., Peter Coleman, expert and author of The Way Out. So, Mike trained the Janes to perform abortions themselves. I cried with her: the diary of a doctor navigating a total abortion ban. U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., speaks during the pro-abortion rights rally at the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge in downtown Westport, Conn. Sunday, May 8, 2022. Republican. But doing so gave them a real understanding of what they were capable of at a time when a lot of women were told they werent capable of much, Pildes said. BOOTH: And word spread, and someone else called. The law was rendered unconstitutional after the passage of Proposal 3 in November. The complexion changed, noted Marie Leaner, one of the only Black women in the collective. Among the signatories are the Global Justice Center, Pregnancy Justice, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. And at that point, I realized we better set up a system. Booth tells her story in "The Janes." Weve seen consistent lip service from the Biden-Harris administration, but not enough action, she said. Frances X. Hogan (bottom row, right) is an accomplished legal professional who has served in leadership roles for numerous pro-life and Catholic organizations, includingWomen Affirming Life and the Pro-Life Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. You need an abortion. The LaBrant Fam: YouTubers Release 'Pro-Love Documentary' on Abortion DEL BARCO: Then they'd move to another Jane's home, what they called the place. At the center of two separate symbolic victories for pro-choice and pro-life advocates, McCorvey makes a deathbed confession that she was paid by anti-abortion groups like Operation Rescue to speak out against abortion later in life. This was a pivotal shift within the collective, not only in the services they provided but whom they provided them to: They never turned any woman away, no matter her financial situation. This Documentary About the Fight for Abortion Information and Access Is Detailing the decades-long abortion debate, these docs give context to the historic Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. The US Supreme Court's 7-2 decision established rules based on a pregnancy trimester framework, banning legislative interference in the first trimester of pregnancy (0-12 weeks), allowing states to regulate abortion during the second trimester (weeks 13-28) "in ways that are reasonably related to maternal health," and allowing a state to A new documentary tells the story of "The Jane Collective," a group that helped women with nowhere else to turn for a safe abortion, in the days before Roe v. Wade. Several decades after Roe v. Wade, the anti-abortion movement had successfully spearheaded campaigns in multiple states, passing laws that limited access to abortion including in Mississippi, where a single facility performing abortions remained. Try some deep breathing - very reassuring. You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. One of the reasons we get screwed up in Washington is we stop thinking about real people and we start thinking about stereotypes That destroys your ability, destroys the empathy that is required to be thoughtful about trying to help real people.. BOB GRAHAM Abortion: Stories Women Tell is streaming on HBO Max. The development of medication abortion has vastly changed the landscape. But their lawyer, Jo-Ann Wolfson, had a plan to keep delaying the court proceedings because she knew that the Supreme Court was hearing a case about another Jane Roe v. Wade. All rights reserved, WUSF Knowledge (16.4) Natasha Hellerich Abortions happened long before Roe v. Wade, and they will continue to happen long after its apparently imminent demise. (Amy Davis) Sullivan, a . On June 1, 2016 the film will be released to more than 70 local public television stations via APT. They just left. Click here to learn more about hosting a screening. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. As a result of the Johns Committees efforts, more than 200 gay and lesbian students and teachers were expelled or fired. Some women left the collective because they felt both personally betrayed and that they had betrayed the women they counseled. And why it wasnt stopped sooner. UCF History Department Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Abortion is a common procedure ( one in four American women will have one, according to the Guttmacher Institute) that has been so flattened into an "issue" that it can feel revelatory to just. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. 1970. When a draft opinion from the Supreme Court leaked last month, suggesting the court could be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the directors of underground abortion network documentary The Janes . Documentary filmmaker and video producer Aaron Hos, representing the UCF Center for Distributed Learning (CDL), was brought onto the project as Producer and Supervising Editor. Idaho House committee moves 'abortion trafficking' bill forward - Idaho DEL BARCO: Booth gathered an underground collective of women who called themselves Jane. The Committee recalls that unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Mandalit del Barco, NPR News. Arcana, now in her 70s, and other members, who were college age to middle age, were known as Jane, a code name used to avoid being caught. For decades, underground networksaround the world from El Salvador to Poland to Mexico to right here in the United States have been and are assisting pregnant people obtain the abortion care that they need. Debating an amendment on Tuesday in the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) graphically described what a partial-birth abortion is, and talk-radio host Mark Levin played the clip and commented that the media will never show Americans the procedure, adding that it is "Mengele-like" and that the Democrat Party fully supports such barbarism.