February 19, 2002

DOCUMENTARY FOCUSES ON REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND WOMEN�S HEALTH

As part of Women�s History Month, Boise State University Student Programs Board will present the short documentary �Jane: An Abortion Service,� followed by a lecture. The film begins at 7 p.m. Monday, March 4 at the Special Events Center. Admission is free to Boise State students, faculty and staff; $3 for general admission.

The powerful one-hour documentary, co-produced by Kate Kirtz and Nell Lundy, focuses on the history of a group of women who collaborated to provide health care services, resulting in 12,000 safe illegal abortions between 1969 and 1973. �Jane: An Abortion Service� speaks to the need for women to exchange information, the importance of developing our faith in political activism and the power of creating and disseminating radical histories,� said director, Kate Kirtz.

Jane�s founder, Heather Booth, was a civil rights activist who saw the right to abortion as an extension of the right to self-determination rather than as a feminist issue. By 1968 her efforts had resulted in a sophisticated system of women�s outreach programs, eventually servicing more than 300 women a month. In 1972, 10 months before the passage of Roe v. Wade, seven key members of the group were arrested.

In-depth interviews, archival footage and personal documents collectively capture the reality of the Chicago-based mobile clinic that provided abortion services, counseling and education for thousands of women.

The event is being sponsored by Boise State Student Programs Board, Boise State Women�s Center, American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho and Planned Parenthood of Idaho. For more information, please call 426-4636.

Media Contact:
Michael Crump
Student Programs Board
426-3874