Daily Dose: 126

Feminism in 3D: Defy, Disobey, Disrupt

Logo: Sheyam Ghieth

When I write about my abortions, I use inverted commas around “legal” and “illegal” because I reject the State’s attempt to control my uterus. I reject its power to declare what is “legal” or “illegal” when it comes to my abortions. That power and control belong to me. Exactly such a disregard for laws that deny us bodily autonomy serves as the modus operandi of an underground network of women who used the codename Jane to provide safe, “illegal,” and affordable abortions in Chicago before the Supreme Court passed Roe v Wade in January, 1973. A film about the collective, called The Janes, premiered on HBO and HBO Max in 2022. “There was a philosophical obligation on our part. on somebody’s part, to disrespect a law that disrespected women,” a member of the network called Jody said in the film. Another member of Jane called Heather Booth said “I learned that sometimes you have to stand up to illegitimate authority and sometimes there are unjust laws that need to be challenged.”