Event

Ask for Jane @ 27th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival

(Rachel Carey, U.S., 2018, 109 min.)

Based on a true story and set less than 50 years ago, in 1969 Chicago Ask for Jane might seem hard to believe for those who have grown up in the U.S. after Roe v. Wade. But in the world of Ask for Jane, abortion is punishable by prison, and getting birth control is nearly impossible. As a result, women die every day from taking matters into their own hands. When a pregnant student at the University of Chicago attempts to take her own life, Rose (Cait Cortelyou) and Janice (Cody Horn) find a doctor willing to perform the procedure in secret to save the womans life. Sparked by this experience, Rose and Janice form the Jane Collective: a secret organization to help other women obtain safe and illegal abortions. Operating like a spy network, complete with blindfolds and code names, the Janes help thousands of women but they can't hide from the police forever. Although the film explores the past, it also speaks quite urgently to the present moment.