What Was the Jane Collective Abortion Network?
What It's Like When Abortion Is Forced to Go Underground — From a Woman Who Lived It
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PS: Do the stories of any women seeking abortion while you worked at the Jane Collective stand out in your memory?
JA: I dealt with a few teenagers who were in terrible circumstances. There was one who came through the service, but I discovered that she didn't want the abortion. I said to her, "Well, what are you doing here, then? You should go home. Why are you doing this?" And she burst into sobs, and said, "My mother is making me do this."
She was 15 and said if she didn't have the abortion, as soon as she had the baby, her mom would have it taken away. It was just a terrible, terrible moment of sadness and badness. And she threw her arms around me — I was pregnant at the time — and she said, "I know you'll be a wonderful mother, because you're so good to me." I felt bad about being contrasted with her mother, who she obviously did not think was a good mother, but I did feel this extraordinary rush of connection between us, knowing her story.