you paid for this: the janes with my friend elizabeth

I have a friend named Elizabeth Entenman, and she is a truly wonderful person. She is loyal, smart, sharp, funny, ~resilient—lol, I hate that word—and somehow strikes the balance of sister-mentor without ever being condescending. She's pretty and has wonderful taste in dogs.

I said she's smart, and an example of that is how Elizabeth is realistic that book clubs can kinda suck, but reading a book with a friend is fun. She's reading a book a month with a friend, but no meeting is required; it's just notes, texts, and sporadic thoughts, and it's been enjoyable. I barely contributed anything to our conversations, but this bookletter will balance it. I love you, Elizabeth! And I love you, abortion.

The Story of Jane is an explanatory title, as it is the story of the Jane Collective, the underground abortion service that ran from 1969 to 1973 when abortion was illegal almost everywhere in the US. Jane disbanded after a number of them were arrested in 1973; when Roe v. Wade passed, the charges were dropped, and there was no longer a need for the collective. The Story of Jane was initially published in 1996, though I read a reprinted version from 2022, the year Roe v. Wade was overruled in full. The Story of Jane could have been written now.

"The things these women were fighting for haven't changed.”

Elizabeth

A theme I noticed in Elizabeth's reflection on The Story of Jane was the idea of the ordinary versus the extraordinary. She said, "I so admire every person who supports women's reproductive rights because they don't see themselves as extraordinary. (They are.)"

That hit me, not only as someone who has worked for an abortion fund but because, ain't that just the way? I operate this way, and most people I love do too. From the littlest thing like using your blinker, which communicates to the driver behind you that you are making a turn, keeping you both safe, to something as "controversial" as abortion access. It's just about taking care of each other. It doesn't feel extraordinary to see someone in need and want to, truly and not condescendingly, help them.

When it comes to abortion, I'm an advocate, not because I had an abortion. I genuinely think people should have them when they want them. I don't think that's a radical view in any way, especially living in a country that does not care about or take care of parents, children, or families, especially if they're Black or Brown.

Jane really does frame the act of providing abortion and helping each other obtain access to abortion services as obvious. Elizabeth wrote, "I have so much love and respect for the people in this book who knowingly put their safety and lives on the line to do the right thing. Who said 'fuck it' and didn't ask for permission or forgiveness, just did the damn thing because they believed in it so fully, it was their only option."

When I decided I would have an abortion, it was immediately clear it was my only option. If anyone had tried to tell me no, I'd have gone to the ends of the earth to get my way. That's how I feel about everyone's abortion and, similarly, everyone's choice to carry a pregnancy to term. I just really think people should get to do nearly whatever they want, especially with their own bodies and choices that will change their lives. To me, it is truly like, duh.

"They're so admirably strong and unwavering about the idea that abortion is an act of responsibility."

Elizabeth

Elizabeth didn't grow up in the greater Seattle area, where abortion is slightly less taboo than in other parts of the country. "My abortion education is still ongoing; I feel like I still have a lot to learn, especially about the past that got us here to today's present. I was raised to think abortion was wrong and didn't question that belief until I left the Midwest and the South and moved to the East Coast in my twenties, for once meeting people from all walks of life."

I admire people who have jumped around the country or outside it!, and have learned and grown through those cultural shocks. It's funny to think of Elizabeth as a Midwesterner or a Southerner, as I've always known her as an East Coast darling. We met online while writing for HelloGiggles and have known each other through bad boyfriends, good boyfriends, pets, death, grief, and tons of freelance drama. We're both "online" people, so I really appreciated Elizabeth's take on the conversation about abortion online. She says, "The online conversation around abortion is often, What can I do to help? Which reminds me of one of my least favorite sentences in this English language: Let me know if you need anything. How about you do what you feel is appropriate to show that you care and stop putting the burden on me to help you answer that question? I feel inspired to take a similar approach to reproductive rights: You want to help? Just start helping. Think about a way that you can contribute, and do that. If Jane can figure out how to create a service that schedules procedures, makes travel arrangements, offers counseling, performs abortions, and follows up with aftercare instructions, you can think of the best way to contribute your specific talents to the cause."

And she's right. I was infuriated when that weird TikTok trend happened after Roe v. Wade was overturned, and everyone was saying, "If you need to go camping, you can camp at my house," while a weird song played in the background. That's not helpful, and neither is putting the onus on someone else to reach out if they need help. If you want to help, find your local abortion fund and volunteer. If you have money, give it to them. If you have political power or influence, use it to regulate health care services and stop being a fucking asshole.

[So, did we like this book?]

Yes! Elizabeth recommends, saying, "I still feel guilty sometimes for my younger views and am often afraid of saying the "wrong" thing about abortion. The Story of Jane is one of those texts that can help you find better words to talk about your beliefs. I recommend this book to everyone, regardless of how much you know (or think you know) about the ongoing fight for reproductive freedom."

I also recommend The Story of Jane, a reflective history book about how ordinary abortion is and how we have to deal with restrictions, illegality, and the struggle for autonomy in an oppressive society where white men have much, if not all, of the control. I also enjoyed Call Jane, the movie starring Elizabeth Banks based on this book! I respect the Jane Collective and would be remiss if I didn't encourage people to broaden their abortion conversations and make room for inclusive language because everyone has abortions. I know some people feel prickly about being inclusive when it comes to "women's health care" and "women's issues" because it ultimately boils down to men wanting to control women's bodies, which may feel a little different than men wanting to control the body of a nonbinary or trans person. But it's not different. Cis, white men want to control everyone. There is no progress without inclusion.

[The Story of Jane quotes]

"Abortion wasn't a charity for helpless women: it was an act of responsibility."

"We believe women should have babies when they want them and abortions when they need them."

"Service members were neither heroes nor martyrs. They worked with Jane because they got personal satisfaction from it. The service wasn't about self-sacrifice or rescuing anyone; it was about being a responsible person."

"We in Jane learned that social change is not a gift given by leaders and heroes but is accomplished by ordinary people working together. We make it happen by when we choose to do."