• Additional Resources 20
  

SYNOPSIS

“We are women whose ultimate goal is the liberation of women in society. One important way we are working toward that goal is by helping any woman who wants an abortion to get one as safely and cheaply as possible under existing conditions.”
- Jane pamphlet, 1969-1973.

“We wanted to create an atmosphere that was empowering in a situation that was normally very disempowering. We wanted to give women some ammunition in their lives, and by acting directly, show them was possible to take action on their own behalf and on behalf of other women.”
- Anonymous, The Jane Collective (from Abortion Without Apology by Nina Baeher, South End Press, 1991).

SYNOPSIS:
JANE: ABORTION AND THE UNDERGROUND
Copyright Paula Kamen 2001

Drama, two act; at least 9 women (at least 2 African American), at least 3 men (doubling for both genders required); one simple set possible; offers ethnically diverse roles and strong roles for women.
Running Time: Three versions: 2 hours and 10 minutes; 1 hour and 45 minutes; 1 and a half hours (without intermission).

A timely and provocative drama about “the best-kept secret” in Chicago, “Jane,” an underground abortion service that operated from 1969 to 1973. This network, run by a feminist collective of mostly middle-class housewives and students, was the one safe alternative for about 11,000 Chicago women of all backgrounds. In all those years, “Jane,” which boasted no fatalities and operated in private apartments throughout the city, was well trusted by and commonly received referrals from police, university administrators, social workers, clergy, and hospital staff. Writing about the play’s premiere production in fall 1999, Chicago Reader critic Kim Wilson said: “Everyone – but women especially – should hear this story.”

PRODUCTION AND PUBLICATION HISTORY

• World premiere by Green Highway Company at the Chopin Studio Theater, Chicago, August 1999.
  
• Production by Millenium Theater Company at the Bartell Theater, Madison, Wisconsin, June 2001.
  
• Reader’s theater production, Winona State University, Minnesota, January 2003.
  
• Production, Florida State University, Tallahassee, January 2003.
  
• Production, College of William and Mary, Virginia, March 2003.
  
• Two monologues published in The Best Women’s Monologues 1999 (Smith & Kraus, 2000).
  
• Scene published in The Best Stage Monologues 1999 (Smith & Kraus, 2000).
  
• Monologue published in Millenium Monologues: Voices of a New Age (Meriwether Press, 2002).
  
• Semi-finalist, Moondance Film Festival, Stage Plays Category, named November 2000.
  
• Finalist, Columbine non-violence award, Moondance Film Festival, January 2001.
  

GROUND BREAKING RESEARCH

Research for the writing of Jane includes a detailed, original investigation into its past an dozens of interviews with those who were on the scene. This includes patients from various stages of the network and the major leaders. The drama, a historical documentary, is stitched from original interview transcripts, fictionalized reenactments of conversations, and historical documents, such as a script for abortion-rights street theater by the Chicago Women’s Liberation Union and newspaper coverage of “The Abortion Seven.” The research is so valuable that it was used by the makers of the PBS documentary, Jane: An Abortion Service, which aired in 1998 (Author Paula Kamen is credited as providing as much of the film’s research). The interview transcripts, quoted in the 1997 book When Abortion was a Crime (University of California Press), are also on file with the Special Collections Department of the Northwestern University Library.

THE STORY: BEYOND THE SURFACE AND THE RHETORIC

In its suspenseful drama and occasional dark humor, this play tells an important story of both Chicago and reproductive rights history. Engaged n the ongoing abortion-rights debate, the play presents the much needed and forgotten point of view of women, discussing the real threat to their lives and human dignity when abortion was illegal. The play also connects the group to its roots in the New Left, civil rights and women’s health movements – which become clear even to a non-political audience. Many characters were involved in all these movements, such as Micki, a black civil rights worker who was a legal aide in the Chicago Conspiracy Trial and let “Jane” use her apartment in the Kenwood neighborhood for the procedures. (The play also explores connections to the underground Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion, run by E. Spencer Parsons, former dean of Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago, interviewed for the play.)

Jane is also about the power of collective action to make change in women’s lives. By cooperating together under stressful circumstances, Jane made a normally traumatic and “criminal” situation into an empowering one, where women often learned for the first time vital information about their own bodies and feminism. Especially in later years, the collective gave personal treatment to patients, giving them health information, such as copies of the first editions of Our Bodies, Ourselves, and emotional support through the process. Jane also was radical in demystifying and taking control of the abortion process, which was considered the exclusive domain of the male medical establishment

Yet, while addressing politics (which are inextricable from the characters’ lives), the play is NOT AN “ISSUE PLAY” – and concentrates on telling stories rather than on polemics. The play explores many complexities of the abortion issue, as well as of the main characters involved, most of whom were mothers at the time. The playwright does not “whitewash” the abortion experience of people who used Jane, often voices critical of this home-grown service. In this play, the complexities of abortion rights are revealed in twists and turns of the plot. Nothing is as it seems on the surface: a minister and pregnant woman are abortion-rights activists; a policewoman knocking on the door of The Service is seeking an abortion, not an arrest; and the abortion doctor revealed not to be a real doctor.

“Jane” was started by Heather Booth (later a leader in the Democratic National Committee), then a leader of campus activism at the University of Chicago, who is credited with forming more early feminist groups than anyone else. Because of her contacts in the civil rights movement, a friend asked her to find a doctor to help his sister, who needed an abortion. Soon, the word spread throughout activist communities of her connection to a doctor, and she found herself setting up a counseling and referral service. When returning calls to women, she used the code name “Jane.” When the workload became too much, she sought the help of other activists, many of whom were drawn to the emerging “women’s liberation” and women’s health movements. Eventually, “Jane” officially became a part of the greater women’s movement by affiliating with the Chicago Women’s Liberation Union, a groundbreaking socialist-feminist umbrella organization, founded in 1969.

Gradually, the women of “Jane” (or “The Service”) began assisting the abortionists and learning the procedures on their own. Meanwhile, they found out that the abortionists they were using were not real “doctors,” as promised, further demystifying this previously mysterious procedure. In 1969, they took over performing the abortions themselves, charging less than $100 a piece and helping the poorest women in the city. After a long period of surveillance, in 1972, the police finally busted the Service. But before the much-publicized “Abortion Seven” could go on trial, the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision released them from charges and “Jane” dissolved.

EVERYONE COULD USE A LITTLE HELP
Delegating the Production Responsibilities

A dedicated behind-the-scenes team is pivotal to the success of your production (no matter how big or small).

• Set up the first meeting as soon as possible: Invite as many people as you can with different backgrounds, interests, and skills to that first meeting. You will need all the help you can get in many different areas so having a large crowd to start with will enable you to put together a core group of dedicated Choicers.
  
  
• Define Roles: As the organizer/director of your event, one of your responsibilities will be to explain “Jane: Abortion and the Underground” and its importance to our lives. Other roles may include, but not limited to:
  
  
• Fundraising Chair – this person could also search for sponsors
  
  
• Venue Scout – search for locations to have your events
  
  
• Publicity Rep – in charge of distributing flyers, LTEs, Press Releases, and Media Advisories
  
  
• Program/Flyer Creator
  
  
• Stage/Set Designer - this role is optional depending on what type of production you plan on having.
  
  
• Complementing Events Coordinator – plan events that would complement your production such as finding speakers for the pre/post-production, planning a panel discussion of Choice, hosting a viewing of a Choice video.
  
  
• Casting Crew – they can also set up the auditions if you plan on having people audition for parts.
  
  
• Communication: Have regular meetings to report progress or possible set-backs to each other and to assess if everyone is on target with their various tasks.
  
  
• Sponsorship: Finding a sponsor for your event/production can take a very large load off of your mind. You may want to begin by first looking at either college departments/programs or groups, or community organizations that can provide some form of funding. Sponsors might also be able to help you, byway of their networking connections, in finding and securing a venue, utilizing campus/community facilities, and promoting the production.
  

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VENUE

Securing a venue and setting dates gives you something concrete to work with and toward.

Locate and secure the largest venue that you think you can handle. Don’t underestimate the number of people that will want to come to your event (but keep your attendance expectations realistic) – many organizers of a variety of past events will tell you that they had a full house, with overflow, and wished that they had booked a bigger space. You certainly don’t want to think to yourself after the fact that you wish you could have been able to accommodate more audience members. Possible venue options include:

• Campus theater – main stage or recital hall
  
  
• Community theater or local arts center
  
  
• Local café – these usually have very limited space so this may be only a viable option for a smaller production such as a Reader’s Theater.
  
  
• What can the venue offer you?: Look at publicity, support, resources, etc. Are there props available that you could use? Is there an in-house stage manager that could offer their help? Sound technician? Lighting? Accessibility for the differently abled? Investigate your options to make sure that you are getting the best resources available.
  
  
• The inevitable – How much does it cost?: Typically, if you are putting together a production and the venue that you wish to have is on a college campus (where you are a student) then you will more than likely be able to book the venue for free or at a discounted rate (schools usually add these minor things in with your tuition – didn’t you always wonder were all that money went???). If you are not a student at the college, then try contacting and networking with a Women’s Studies program/club/group on that campus – they might be very interested in sponsoring the event and you could even get a few more people to help out. If your ideal venue is off-campus, and you don’t necessarily have the funds to pay for it then still try networking with campus or community groups that could offer you sponsorship. Another possibility in waiving the costs of the venue, try striking a deal with the venue manager – perhaps offer a mention of their name in your program in exchange for the waiver. When all else fails – FUNDRAISE!! (see fundraising section)
  
  
• Book the venue NOW!: The sooner the better, in terms of possible sponsorship, advertising and coordinating the event. If you are unsure between a few venue locations, and all of them are free to use at your disposal, then reserve them all. You can always cancel a reservation later when you have more logistical information on the performance.
  
  

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CASTING

You are free to cast whomever you choose in your production.

• Diversity: Although you might be limited by your geographic region, please make every effort to assemble as diverse a cast as possible.
  
  
• Performers: Do not constrain your production by only casting thespians for the performance. Just remember that the Jane Collective was not filled by only abortion doctors or those who had experienced abortion first hand. Another consideration is to open up your casting to all people – students, faculty, community members.
  
  
• Auditions: Auditions are the place to identify people who are well-suited for specific roles in “Jane.” A good idea for when you are holding auditions is to have an open-call and not requiring an audition piece _ you may instead opt to supply them with photocopied excerpts of the play itself. Note: it’s best to have multiple roles available (make copies of different parts) and hope that people choose to audition for different roles. Chance is that people have not read or seen “Jane” before so they could just draw out of a pile, audition for no specific part, and then you and your casting crew can make the final call on what part they are to receive. Another note is to possibly have your auditions spanning more than one night in case people cannot make it to one, or if they are unable to make it to any of the auditions then they can have an arranged one-on-one audition with you.
  
  
• Number of Performers: This cast requires a minimum of 11 members: 9 women and 2 men, preferably 5 white women as the leads, 3-6 white women for the supporting roles, an older black woman, a young black woman, one young man, and one older man. If you choose to have only the minimum cast then be aware that your performers will be doubling up on parts.
  
  

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PRODUCTION OPTIONS

READING/READER’S THEATER

• A very basic, cut and dry, type of performance. The performers sit on the stage and just read from the script. This form of production does not require setting/staging/props/costumes besides a seating or standing arrangement for the readers. Although not required, you may opt to have some form of backdrop behind your readers, have the performers were a universal color to signify unity, and bind the script in a non-obvious covering. This also requires a minimal amount of planning time – reserve venue, find your cast, and possible have a few reading run-throughs of the play. Timing and planning approximately = a few weeks to a month.
  

MODIFIED READER’S THEATER

• Similar to a regular reader’s theater being that the performers read from the script, but different because of a few modifications. You may still choose to have your performers sit on the stage, but instead of reading from their seats they might get up and act out their lines (when they are in the scene) and interact with the other scene characters (staging/blocking). Props may also be added into this type of performance, but it is suggested that since you are not doing a full-scale production (read: not doing big scene changes) that you should keep the props small and easily movable around the stage. Also, you may want to have the performers to dress alike as suggested under the Reading option. This type of performance may require a bit more planning and time than a Reading or regular Reader’s Theater, but it is still minimal - a little more planning will need to go into stage blocking. Timing and planning approximately = 3 weeks to 1 _ months. (SEE “FROM ONE ORGANIZER TO THE NEXT” SECTION FOR MORE DETAILS)
  

FULL SCALE PRODUCTION

• This form of production is just what the title purveys – a full-scale all-out play production. Most/all of the suggested setting/staging described by Paula Kamen in the script will be utilized. You may want to reach out and ask for help from a local theater department or troupe in getting their assistance and donations for designing the sets and stage as well as borrowing their props/costumes. This may also require securing a venue that has a larger stage. Time and planning = 1 _ months to 3 months _ to allow time for set design and rehearsals (performers do not typically read from scripts so you will want to allot time for line memorization and stage blocking).
  

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FUNDRAISING

Hosting a fundraiser is an excellent way to increase funding for your event, as well as a way to spread the word about your upcoming production. You can tailor the examples here to fit any idea that you have.

• Bake sales – you could even make these into ‘pay equity’
  
  
• Button sales – if you have access to a button maker
  
  
• T-shirt sales – ask a local t-shirt shop to possibly donate materials and time to create shirts for you to sell
  
  
• Write letters to local progressive businesses and ask for any donations that they may be willing to make
  
  
• Silent auction – ask local progressive businesses to donate goods which you can turn around and auction off to the highest bidder. You might also consider auctioning your cast – people pay or “buy” your cast (those willing to participate) to do random tasks such as yard work, babysitting, or cleaning.
  
  
• Car washes – talk to local car washes and ask they would be willing to either give either the full or partial profit made in a day/s.
  
  

VISIBILITY: Communicating Effectively Through Posters/Flyers

POSTERS & FLYERS POWERFULLY CONVEY ONE SPECIFIC MESSAGE TO A TARGETED AUDIENCE. HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR CREATING POSTERS & FLYERS WITH PUNCH:

1 Know your audience: Tailor your message to each a specific audience (e.g. students, women over 40, communities of faith, etc.)

2 Grab their attention: Rely on fact sheets, pamphlets and books to tell them the full story. Use the poster to motivate supporters to find out more.

3 Stick to the facts: Include date, times and locations for events, and your organization’s/group name and contact info.

4 Consider designing with text only: While graphics are great, a well designed print-only poster offers an effective low-cost alternative. Or to grab attention without adding graphics, print/copy your posters/flyers on colored paper.

5 Balance all of the elements of design: graphics and print

6 Unite the design elements so that they appear as one.

7 Create movement through the poster: design to draw the eye of the observer from the most to the least important parts of the poster/flyer

8 Design an element of surprise to grab your viewer’s attention

9 Produce it with pride: this may be your first impression on a potential supporter. Make it your best!

10 Distribute: put out your flyers at least 3 weeks in advance on campus, in the community, and to organizations.


THREE IMPORTANT USES FOR POSTERS INCLUDE:

• Announcing events: such as a Roe v. Wade vigil or a production of Jane
  
  
• Promoting a service: such as the Providers Expansion Project
  
  
• Educating the public about emerging issues, such as attacks on Choice
  
  

PUBLICITY

• Compile a list of news contacts who will be interested in your event. Send press releases, advisories, statements, and background information to local papers, news channels, and radio stations. First send out a Media Advisory and then send out a more descriptive story (Press Release) with updates a few days before the event. Follow these up with a phone call or email to make sure that someone is assigned to cover your event. Send local newspapers and public radio stations a public service announcement. Newspapers and radio calendar sections offer free announcements for upcoming events. As soon as you have a firm date, get on those calendars. The morning of the event make quick reminder calls, especially to TV and radio. At your event be sure to have a news release available for reporters on site which quotes your key spokesperson and has data about your event. Lastly, if you have any form of funding, you may want to consider taking out an ad in your local paper.
  

How to Write a Media Advisory

• Cover the Who, What, When, Where, and Why details of the event
  
  
• Reel them in – give the press a reason to come to the event
  
  
• Keep it short – stick to the 5 W’s
  
  
• Include contact information
  
  
• Distribute to the press one week before your event.
  
  

Tips on How to Write Press Releases:

• Use your organization/group’s letterhead
  
  
• Pick a catchy headline
  
  
• Stick to the facts
  
  
• Cover the 5 W’s and the 1 H (who, what, when, where, why & how). Also put the most important information in the first paragraph.
  
  
• Keep it short and sweet
  
  
• Distribute press releases the day before or the day of your event preferably, or you can send it out within a week of the event. Do not send it out too far in advance because the press may just shrug the event off.
  
  
• Press releases are generally more or less like an article whereas press advisories are the ‘bare-bones’ of the event.
  
  

How to Write Letters to the Editor & Op/Eds

Writing letters to the editor (LTEs) of your campus, local, and state newspapers about your event is a great way to get media coverage and to encourage people to attend. LTEs are the 2^nd most-read part of the newspaper after the front page. Here are some tips on how to write LTEs and maximize your chances of getting printed:

• Keep it short – most papers have a maximum word count of 250 words or less. Check with the paper for more information.
  
  
• If possible, refer to a recent article from the newspaper. When there are no recent articles to write about, try to use a recently released study, quote, or event to refer to (e.g., recent campus event that is relevant to what you are writing about.) Use concrete facts to make your case.
  
  
• Put your contact information, including name, address, and phone number, at the end of the letter so the editor can verify that you are the letter writer.
  
  
• Deliver a copy of your LTE personally to the editor or most papers nowadays have online admittance available.
  
  
• Some newspapers are picky and insist that any letters they publish are “exclusive” to them. Make sure to check on this aspect by calling your local newspapers.
  
  
• Don’t forget to include your address and phone number. Some publications will want to call to confirm that you wrote the letter before they publish it.
  
  

Op-eds or opinion pieces provide an opportunity to write a longer piece expressing your viewpoint on controversial issues. While most papers accept unsolicited opinion pieces, it often pays to ask ahead of time. Tips for op-eds:

• While longer than LTEs, op-eds should still be concise and to the point. Ask the newspaper for guidelines, but in general keep between 300-350 words.
  
  
• Remember that it is called an opinion piece, so be sure you express one. Don’t just describe a situation, offer your or your organization/group’s position on what should be done about it.
  
  

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Books

• Our Choices, Our Lives: Unapologetic Writings on Abortion, 2002, Krista Jacob Ed., New York: Writers Advantage.
  
  
• Behind Every Choice is a Story, 2002, Gloria Feldt, Denton, Texas: University of North Texas Press.
  
  
• Abortion at Work: Ideology and Practice in a Feminist Clinic, 1996, Wendy Simonds, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
  
  
• A Question of Choice, 1993, Sarah Weddington, New York: Penguin Books.
  
  
• Before Roe: Abortion Policy in the States, 2001, Rosemary Nossif; Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
  
  

Internet Sources

• www.cwluherstory.org - Chicago Women’s Liberation Union - great website containing information on pro-choice, feminist and JANE historical data. It even has a “Jane song,”. Links of particular “Jane” interest:
  
  
• http://www.cwluherstory.org/CWLUFeature/Janearticles.html
  
  
• http://www.cwluherstory.org/CWLUFeature/JaneDocs.html
  
  
• http://www.cwluherstory.org/CWLUFeature/Janestory.html
  
  
• http://www.cwluherstory.org/CWLUFeature/Janetheater.html
  
  
• http://www.cwluherstory.org/CWLUFeature/Janeprint.html
  
  
• http://www.cwluherstory.org/CWLUFeature/Janevideo.html
  
  
• http://cwluherstory.org/CWLUFeature/Janesonqt.html (Jane song)


• www.protectchoice.org – The Pro-Choice Education Project
  
  
• www.naral.org – Pro-Choice America: National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League
  
  
• www.aclu.org – American Civil Liberties Union
  
  
• www.feminist.org – Feminist Majority Foundation
  
  
• www.feministcampus.org – World’s Largest Pro-Choice Student Network – Sister site of feminist.org
  
  
• http://www.library.northwestern.edu/spec/pdf/kamenJANE.pdf - Special Collections Library at Northwestern University - where Paula Kamen donated her transcripts for Jane to. Also located here is E. Spencer Parsons papers. Paula Kamen wrote Reverend E. Spencer Parsons into Jane. Rev. Parsons was part of the Clergy Consultation service which was a network of clergy set up to refer women to other states for legal abortions. The
  
  
• http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/women/ – Special Collections Library at Duke University – all around major resource of pro-choice history.
  
  
• www.million4roe.com
  
  
• http://flathat.wm.edu/March212003/varietystory2.shtml - online article about the College of William & Mary’s March 2003 production of “Jane: Abortion and the Underground.”
  
  

Movies (Check your school’s library or media services – they may already own some of these).

• Jane: An Abortion Service, released in 1996, available through Women Make Movies in NYC. Produced and directed by Kate Kirtz and Nell Lundy. – Profiles the abortion service which operated in Chicago during the late 1960s and early 1970s, when abortion was illegal; consists primarily of interviews with many of the women who worked with the service. http://www.wmm.com/Catalog/pages/c410.htm
  
  
• If These Walls Could Talk, released in 1996 by HBO – an excellent movie about a woman’s right to choose through the lens of three separate decades: pre-Roe, adjacent to Roe, and present.
  
  
• Never Go Back: The Threat to Legalized Abortion, released by the Feminist Majority Foundation. Contact Million4Roe.com for a copy.
  
  
• The Fragile Promise of Choice: Abortion in the United States Today, released n 1996 (Menlo Park, CA: Concentric Media) Producer: Beth Seltzer, Director: Dorothy Fadiman, Produced in association with KTEH-TV, San Jose.


• When Abortion was Illegal: Untold Stories, released in 1992 (Oley, PA: Bullfrog Films, Concentric Media). Producer & Director: Dorothy Fadiman in association with KTEH-TV. – Presents the stories of women who had illegal abortions from 1930-1960, along with comments of doctors and others who helped them deal with later trauma.


• From Danger to Dignity: The Fight for Safe Abortion, released in 1995 (Menlo Park, CA: Concentric Media), Produced in association with KTEH-TV, San Jose. – This documentary chronicles the double-pronged movement, the grassroots activism and intensive legislative lobbying, that culminated in Roe v. Wade. Rare footage and interviews with movement participants are intercut with women’s shared recollections of back-alley or self-induced abortions.
  
  
• Two documentaries, Misguidance and In Bad Faith, by Sunny Chapman, who was interviewed as a subject in the Jane play, exposing lies of covertly anti-choice “crisis pregnancy centers.” See www.sunnychapman.com/media
  

Plus Many Many More

CONTRACT SAMPLE: NOT FOR ACTUAL USE

Agreement made this ______ day of _____, 200__, by and between ____(Producer) and Paula Kamen (Author).

Producer and Author agree to the following with respect to the play entitled “Jane: Abortion and the Underground:”

1. The Author hereby grants to the Producer the right to produce and present a production of the play for 1 reading on ________, 200_.
   

1. The Author represents that she has the full and complete right to permit such a production of the Play by the Producer.
   

1. Any performances of the Play beyond the originally contracted performances stated above shall be negotiated by a separate contract.
   

1. The Producer shall not make changes, alterations, and/or omissions to the Play without the Author’s prior consent. Any changes or additions to which the Author consents shall be become the Author’s sole property.
   

1. Producer grants the Author the right to attend all rehearsals, technical rehearsals and performances of the production.
   

1. The Author shall receive billing credit in all programs, advertising and publicity for the play immediately underneath the title.
   

1. The Producer shall have the right to authorize one or more radio and/or television presentations of the excerpts from the Play for the sole purpose of publicizing the production of the Play; provided, however, that the Producer shall receive no compensation or profit, directly or indirectly, for authorizing any such radio or television presentations.
   

1. The Author retains all other rights to the Play and any future productions thereof.
   

1. This is the entire Agreement between the Author and the Producer. It shall not be amended or modified except by a written agreement signed by the two parties.
   

___________________ _________
Paula Kamen Date

___________________ _________________________________ ______
Signed Printed Name of Signer and Group Name Date

****PRESS ADVISORY****

WSU Students Mark 30^th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Winona, Minnesota—WSU MN NARAL campus representatives, the Women’s Studies Department, and FORGE are marking the 30^th anniversary of a woman’s right to choose safe and legal abortion. On January 22^nd, 1973, the Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade that a woman’s right to choose an abortion is a fundamental right and has the highest level of Constitutional protection.

Who: WSU MN NARAL Campus Representatives, the Women’s Studies Department, and FORGE

What: A reader’s theatre of “Jane: Abortion and the Underground” by Paula Kamen, with opening statements by history professor Dr. Colette Hyman, followed by a facilitated discussion.

When: Wednesday January 22 at 7 p.m.

Where: The PAC Recital Hall in the Performing Arts Center on the WSU campus.

*Sample*

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
January 21-23, 2003 Nikki Gruis ###-####
Mary Fanning ###-####
Available M-F 8a-6p
Dr. Tamara Berg
Office: ###-####

Winona State University Students Mark 30^th Anniversary of a Woman’s Right to Choose

Winona, Minnesota— Winona State University’s MN NARAL affiliate, Women’s Studies Department, the WILL Program, and FORGE are marking the 30^th anniversary of a woman’s right to choose safe and legal abortion. On January 22^nd, 1973, the Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade that a woman’s right to choose an abortion is a fundamental right and has the highest level of Constitutional protection.

Along with students all over Minnesota, MN NARAL at WSU will be commemorating the anniversary by hosting a viewing of “The Fragile Promise of Choice: Abortion in the United States Today” with opening statements by psychology professor Dr. Susan Sefkow on Tuesday January 21 at 7 p.m. in Stark Auditorium on the WSU campus. A reader’s theatre of “Jane: Abortion and the Underground” by Paula Kamen, with opening statements by history professor Dr. Colette Hyman on Wednesday January 22 at 7 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre in the Performing Arts Center on the WSU campus. A Pro-Choice panel/forum with keynote speaker MN NARAL Executive Director Tim Stanley, along with women’s studies professor Dr. Tamara Berg, student health director Diane Palm, FNP, and health and human performance professor Dr. Peter Sternberg. The Pro-Choice forum will be taking place on Thursday January 23 at 7 p.m. in the Stark Auditorium on the WSU campus. Facilitated discussions will follow each of the commemorative events. Students on 16 campuses across the state are marking the event in similar ways today.

Students sought to celebrate a woman’s right to choose, but are also somber about the state of reproductive freedom in 2003. “Even though we have a Constitutional right to abortion, that isn’t always the case in practical terms,” said Mary Fanning. “Because of restrictive laws and harassment of providers and patients, the right to choose is not always apparent to women in need.”

Students are also wary of laws to come. “In Minnesota, we are threatened by new restrictions on the right to choose. The Legislature already has three bills on the table designed to make accessing abortions more difficult. Moreover, there are indications that the Legislature and Governor will approve severe cuts and restrictions on family planning funds, which would ironically increase the number of abortions necessary in Minnesota,” said Nikki Gruis

Tim Stanley, executive director of Minnesota NARAL, an affiliate of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, echoed these concerns. “Even 30 years after Roe v. Wade, the fundamental right to choose is endangered. In the last abortion-related case, the Supreme court narrowly held up a woman’s right to choose in a 5-4 vote. We are just one or two Supreme Court appointments away from a partial or full reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision.”

“Reproductive freedom is a fundamental American value. We only hope that we will be able to continue to celebrate its anniversary,” said Mary Fanning.

*sample*

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Abortion— a woman's decision, a woman's right

The following is an excerpt from an original informational brochure passed out by the Abortion Counseling Service – “Jane.”

We are giving our time not only because we want to make abortions safer, cheaper and more accessible for the individual women who come to us, but because we see the whole abortion issue as a problem of society. The current abortion laws are a symbol of the sometimes subtle, but often blatant, oppression of women in our society.

Women should have the right to control their own bodies and lives. Only a woman who is pregnant can determine whether she has enough resources — economic, physical and emotional — at a given time to bear and rear a child. Yet at present the decision to bear the child or have an abortion is taken out of her hands by governmental bodies which can have only the slightest notion of the problems involved.

Cultural, moral and religious feelings are largely against abortion, and society does all it can to make a woman feel guilty and degraded if she has one.

The same society that glamorizes women as sex objects and teaches them from early childhood to please and satisfy men views pregnancy and childbirth as punishment for "immoral" or "careless" sexual activity, especially if the woman is uneducated, poor or black. The same morality that says "that's what she gets for fooling around" also fails to recognize society's responsibility to the often unwelcome child that results. Punitive welfare laws reflect this view, and churches reinforce it.

Only women can bring about their own liberation. It is time for women to get together to change the male-made laws and to aid their sisters caught in the bind of legal restrictions and social stigma. Women must fight together to change the attitudes of society about abortion and to make the state provide free abortions as a human right.”

Sponsored by: WSU Women’s Studies Program,MN NARAL, & FORGE

*Sample*

Jane: Abortion and the Underground

A dramatic documentary of Chicago’s revolutionary abortion service and its roots, 1965-1973

By Paula Kamen
Copyright 1992, 1993, 1999, and 2001

NEVER GO BACK

January 22, 2003
7:00 P.M. in PAC Recital Hall
Winona State University

Celebrating 30 Years of Choice
Roe v Wade January 22, 1973

*Sample*
How Jane Was Started…

Today it's hard to remember when abortion was illegal. But before the Roe v. Wade court decision of 1973, women with unwanted pregnancies faced difficult choices.

Women with money could travel to a country where abortion was legal. Those without that option could take their chances with illegal abortionists in this country. Others tried dangerous self-induced abortions, making the coat hanger a national symbol of women's desperation. Each year an estimated 5,000 women died from botched abortions.

The Abortion Counseling Service of Women's Liberation, better known by its nickname "Jane", began as an underground referral group. Eventually they decided to perform the abortions themselves.

Former Jane members estimate that they performed more than 11,000 illegal abortions. Working under difficult clandestine conditions, Jane became legendary on the streets of Chicago for the quality of its care and the dedication of its members. ~ From www.cwluherstory.org

Playwright’s Note: Most of the people profiled in this play are real. They have expressly granted the playwright permission for the use of their interview transcripts. For dramatic purposes, slight editing has been made in oral histories to clarify meaning, maintain subject anonymity and correct facts.

The play is based on oral histories from interviews by the playwright, fictionalized dialogue, and documents from the era.

*sample*

Cast

~ Mary Fanning: WSU Senior; MN NARAL Campus Representative; Psychology Major, Women’s Studies Minor. Playing the parts of: Ruth, Caller 3, and Playwright
~ Nikki Gruis: WSU Senior; MN NARAL Campus Representative; Psychology Major, Women’s Studies Minor. Playing the parts of: Jody and Caller 2
~ Sara Ferden: WSU Senior; English Major; Women’s Studies Minor. Playing the parts of: Sunny and Jane 4/Martha
~ Margaret Grohn: WSU Sophomore; English Major; Women’s Studies Minor. Playing the parts of: Jane 2/Carol and Protester #2
~ Regina Elliott: WSU Senior; Mass Communication Major; Women’s Studies Minor. Playing the parts of Lory and Radical Woman #2
~ Maggie Weller: WSU Senior; Psychology Major; Women’s Studies Minor. Playing the parts of: Rose, Caller 4, and Crystal
~ Blythe Newburg: WSU Junior; Mass Communication Major; Women’s Studies Minor. Playing the parts of: Micki, Jane 1/Millie, and Radical Woman #1
~ Lindsay Stambaugh: WSU Sophomore; Law & Society Major; Women’s Studies Minor. Playing the parts of: Heather and Protester #1
~ Clarissa Malecha: WSU Sophomore; Social Work Major; Women’s Studies Minor. Playing the parts of: Jane 3/Nancy and Patient
~ Jeni Thomson: SMU Senior; Studio Art & Theatre Majors. Playing the parts of: Jane 6/Susan, Protester #2, Medical Supplier, and Investigator
~ Jess Burgoyne: WSU Sophomore; Nursing Major; Women’s Studies Minor. Playing the parts of: Judith, Jane 5/Diane, and Caller 1
~ Jason Zaborowski: WSU Senior; History Major; Women’s Studies Minor. Playing the parts of: Dr.C, Nick, Steve, Reverend E. Spencer Parsons, and Lawyer.

* Mary Fanning and Nikki Gruis would like to thank the entire cast for all of their hard work and their unyielding dedication to a woman’s right to choose.

*sample*

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Sponsored by the Winona State University
MN NARAL Campus Representatives

The WSU MN NARAL Campus Representatives are sponsoring a benefit production of Jane: Abortion and the Underground in part of commemorating the 31^st Anniversary of Roe v Wade, as well as to raise money for WSU students to attend the March for Choice, which is a National Pro-Choice event Celebrating and Protecting a Woman’s Right to Choose.

For: A Reader’s Theater Production of

Jane: Abortion and the Underground

by Paula Kamen
Production Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2004

 Open Call Auditions are being held:

Tuesday ~ December 16^th, 2003
7-9 p.m.
Where: Tentatively set in Maxwell 216 (more info to come)
~Private Auditions can be arranged for those unable to attend~
No Audition Piece Required

Anyone (Female or Male, Students, Faculty and Community Members) who is resolutely Pro-Choice is welcome to participate and audition .
Synopsis of Jane: “A timely and provocative drama about ‘the best-kept secret’ in Chicago, “Jane,” an underground abortion referral service that operated from 1969-1973. This network, run by a feminist collective of mostly middle-class housewives and students, was the one safe alternative for about 11,000 Chicago women of all backgrounds.”
~ Paula Kamen

Come and be a part of this historical piece of Pro-Choice history!

If you have any questions or concerns, such as wanting to participate but cannot attend the scheduled auditions, feel free to contact:
Nikki at ngsunshine@feministcampus.org
Mary at lizabeth227@hotmail.com