The Janes

While some aspects of that history should have been examined more introspectively, the documentary should be considered the definitive recounting of one of the most influential activist groups in American history.

The documentary from directors Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes briskly tells the story of The Jane Collective, which helped thousands of women obtain abortions when they were still illegal in the late 1960s and early ‘70s...the story of their daring remains frighteningly relevant nearly 50 years later as it appears that Roe is increasingly in jeopardy, providing an undercurrent of tension throughout.

Directors Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes do nomination-worthy work in telling the story of what women had to endure in the years immediately preceding Roe v. Wade — and how one group of smart, independent, determined, resourceful and brave women in Chicago created an underground network to facilitate illegal but safe abortions for literally thousands of individuals from 1968-1973.

Now, nearly 50 years later, Americans’ reproductive choice is again in jeopardy, making The Janes not only a crucial part of the historical record but a searingly contemporary film about the power of mutual aid and collective action.

In sticking to the facts, it remains plenty rousing.

The documentary makes an effort to drive home just how much harm illegal abortions cause — but in terms of the presentation, more could have been done to highlight the horrific and tragic nature of the real history.

Speaking with a number of the women who broke the law in the name of justice, and others who were involved in their underground network, The Janes directors Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes have made an urgent and thoroughly engaging group portrait.

Sadly, 'The Janes' arrives a the right moment. Just days before the constitutional right of American women to have an abortion has been abolished, this HBO documentary offers an inside look at what it meant to terminate a pregnancy illegally in the US before the Roe vs Wade case. Although strictly conventional, the film presents the testimonies of The Janes, a collective of women who dedicated themselves to secretly performing safe abortions in Chicago in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Listening to them generates a genuine sense of frustration but also one of inspiration; the way these women came together in solidarity is a story worth telling. In addition, 'The Janes' contextualizes the story with the other social struggles of the time —especially the racial and anti-war ones—, delving into the fact that many women could not completely identify with them, almost all led by men. Through these conversations, the directors manage to capture how these heroines did make a difference by risking their freedom and suffering a great deal of physical and emotional stress.

This documentary claims that these women are heroes for not following the law and do what they believe is "right". The problem is that everybody has a different opinion of what is right and if we all acted against the laws that we don't agree with, there would be anarchy and elections would be pointless. These women are criminals and this documentary, or should I say leftist propaganda, is a call to civil disorder and should be banned.

Even poster tell you not to see that movie. Wasn't even able to watch whole movie.

Leftist propaganda that promotes criminals and tries to justify their actions by appealing to emotion rather than law and order. These are petulant little children that screetch when they don't get thier way.

A complete waste of time and money. Don't even give it the time of day.....