Q&A with Author Kerri Maher

Writer penned fictional depiction of the Jane Collective that hits Sept. 19

Kerri Maher, author of All You Have to Do Is Call, constructed a multi-perspective story that retells the history of the Jane collective from a fictional viewpoint. It revolves around Veronica, a conventional housewife who goes on to start Jane. The other two important characters are Patty, who has an interesting side story with her wayward sister. And then there is Margaret, a young University of  Chicago professor who falls in love with a man with an unhealthy attitude toward his ex-wife. Maher took some time to answer Repro Rights Now’s questions.

Why did you decide to create a fictional account of an abortion ring? 

In 2018, I was listening to NPR on my way to meet a friend for a movie and heard an amazing news story about the women of Jane in 1970s Chicago: women just like me (mothers, wives, college students) who learned to give abortions to other women, illegally and inexpensively but safely and with dignity.  I was amazed and inspired, and immediately I knew I had to write a story about them.  And Jane was so much more than an abortion service—it also provided birth control counseling, STD testing, pregnancy testing, and more.

What kind of book research did you do to make this believable?

I wanted to understand not just what Jane offered as an organization, but also what it was like for women in particular to live through this specific moment in U.S. history.  To that end, I dipped into several books, including When Abortion Was a Crime by Leslie J. Reagan, The Story of Jane by Laura Kaplan, and The Feminine Mystique by Betty Freidan.  I also watched some great documentaries like She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry and 1971: The Year That Changed Music. 

You took a multiple perspective approach to the text? Why?

Reproductive justice is such a complex issue that I wanted to look at it from a variety of perspectives.  The only way to do that was to get into the minds and hearts of many characters.

What do you think the main characters had in common? 

When the going gets tough, they all believe in themselves and each other. They are truly there for each other when one of them needs it—all they have to do is call.

What do you think the main thing these characters learned from being part of Jane? 

I think they learned that there is power in women supporting women. And, as I say in my Author’s Note, “there is no ‘them.’ It’s all ‘us’ here.”

What do you think was the most unique part of the era in which these characters were part of? 

In the early 1970s, there was so much hope that things would change—the Women’s marches and strikes were rapidly turning the wheels of change, and there was widespread hope that the Equal Rights Amendment would pass and women would gain true equality under the law and in the home.  The personal was acutely political for these characters, and with women working together with many men toward the goal of equality, that now-quaint term “women’s liberation” seemed within reach.

Today, we are much more jaded.  Justifiably so.  So many of the dreams of those years have been jettisoned.  But this summer, I feel like women are getting our mojo back—Just look at the eye-opening success of Barbie, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce.  I feel galvanized!

How would you say each character primarily developed as the story went on? 

This is a tough one to answer with no spoilers, but here goes: Every character has to make at least one life-changing choice, and tap into reserves of strength they don’t realize they have in order to deal with the consequences of that choice.

Is there anything else you want to say about the plot, characters, setting or story?

I feel eerily privileged to have gotten to write this novel honoring the brave women of Jane at this strange new juncture in the history of reproductive justice.  Post Dobbs, we’re again living in a world where Janes are necessary, and providers must take enormous personal and legal risks to provide reproductive health care to the people who need it. I’m enormously, humbly grateful to the people on the front lines of this fight, and I hope that their bravery and service will soon be honored for the essential care that it is.