The landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision in the case of Roe v. Wade decriminalized abortion based on the right to privacy and bodily autonomy and opened the door to safe, legal reproductive healthcare in the United States. It’s impossible to know with any certainty how many people suffered injury or died as a result of unsafe abortions per year before the ruling. The official death toll per year just before 1973 was approximately 200 people, but the true number may be higher. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story of why every attempt to recriminalize abortion is met with massive, impassioned protest. The toll of human suffering that comes with forced pregnancy, forced childbirth, and forced parenthood is literally incalculable.

When they began production on the pre-Roe period documentary The Janes, producers Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin could never have foreseen it would be released on the eve of Roe v. Wade being potentially struck down in a shocking decision by the Supreme Court. Here and now, this historical documentation of how much we’ve overcome takes on a horrible urgency as a snapshot of the horrors to come. Technology has moved forward since 1973, making abortions safer than ever, but the barriers of geography, poverty, and racism still remain. Jane, it seems, will be needed again, and The Janes calls her forth from the shadows of history. Here's how you can watch this much-needed documentary film.

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Related:'Happening' Review: Abortion Tale Shows the Terror of Not Having a Choice

When Is The Janes Being Released?

The Janes premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival in January. It is releasing to the public on June 8, 2022, airing on HBO at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

Is The Janes Streaming Online?

The Janes is an HBO exclusive, so it will only be available for streaming on HBO Max. Sadly, there’s no news about any plans for a physical release as of yet.

Watch the Trailer for The Janes

“We were ordinary women, trying to save women’s lives. But… we were criminals.” The opening statement is delivered by one of the actual women who participated in the underground network known in Chicago as Jane. The trailer goes on to explain the historical context in which the Janes operated, including its connections to the antiwar and civil rights movement; the dire straits the unmarried and pregnant found themselves in without the legal protections of modern anti-discrimination laws; and the full septic wards in hospitals. The same former Jane returns again to deliver the line that encompasses the Janes’ courage and conviction: “So we thought: we can be of use.”

The trailer pivots to the Jane network itself: those who were part of the network explain how it was born, how the word was spread, and who needed its services. “I was not there to pass judgment,” says another former Jane. The story transitions yet again to the dangers Jane faced: the enemies of their desperately needed work included not only police, but also the infamous Chicago mafia, and the consequences of getting caught were dire. “Eleven counts of conspiracy to commit abortion,” another former Jane flatly states. “One hundred and ten years, for each of us. So that’s a long time.” Still, as history shows and as this documentary exults, the Janes and everyone who fought for reproductive rights persevered.

Related:Watch Stephen Colbert Criticize Leaked SCOTUS Opinion on Roe v. Wade

What Is the Story of The Janes?

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The story of The Janes is told by the people who lived it. At its core it is a series of interviews with several members of the network, some of whom are coming forward for the first time, as well as medical professionals who saw firsthand the desperation and suffering back-alley abortions caused. These interviews are intercut with footage of abortion rights protests, anti-abortion activity, and speeches from the male politicians who fought to keep abortions illegal. Together, the story they tell begins with the arrest of seven women who up until then had operated as members of Jane in 1971, just before Roe decriminalized their activities. Although the charges they faced included eleven counts of conspiracy to commit abortion, the true number is estimated to be 11,000 safe, low-cost, or free abortions provided to the people who needed them most.

Who Are the Cast and Crew of The Janes

Co-directors Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin are no strangers to documentary filmmaking. Lessin’s previous work, Citizen Koch, took aim at the Tea Party movement of the Obama administration and the role of money in shaping the political landscape in unsettling ways. Pildes, in addition to having a family history connected to the Janes, is the producer of the Jane Fonda biopic Jane Fonda in Five Acts. The Janes, of course, appear as themselves, but for now, they remain uncredited.

More Documentaries On Reproductive Rights That You Can Watch Next

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Image via HBO

Directed by debut filmmaker Diana Whitten, Vessel tells the story of Women on Waves, an organization that provided abortions on board a ship for women who lack legal avenues for abortion in their home countries, and its founder Dr. Rebecca Gomperts. By facing and overcoming the obstacles thrown in her way by anti-abortion forces, Dr. Gomperts refines her activism and begins to build an underground network of activists who give people the resources they need to safely self-induce abortion - not unlike the Jane network, ultimately. Vessel is availabe for streaming on Amazon Freevee.

12th and Delaware takes advantage of a unique opportunity: an abortion clinic and a crisis pregnancy center - a religiously-motivated facility that tries to convince their patients to forego abortion - right across the street from each other in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing (Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You)follow both facilities for a year, interviewing both their staff and the patients that call upon them for their services. It’s a remarkably even-handed look at the abortion debate, treating both sides of the street with equal respect without sparing the very real toll the debate takes on those who are affected most by it. 12th and Delaware is available for streaming on HBO Max.

The Abortion Diaries is an old graduate student project and makes no pretense to be anything else, but director Penny Lane’s talent as a filmmaker and documentarian is plain even under the lack of polish. Twelve women, ages 19 through 54 and hailing from a range of backgrounds, speak with candor about their abortions and the effects they had on their lives. Their stories are marked by desperation, indecision, and compromise, but also self-respect, self-love, and surprising moments of humor. No one gets an abortion as a political statement, and Penny Lane makes no attempt to preach: she just gives her subjects room to tell their stories honestly, and the result is a piece of abortion rights history more powerful than any fiery political speech. The Abortion Diaries is available for free on Vimeo.