Looking for Jane

It is now May of 1970, 10 years after Evelyn was admitted to St. Agnes’s Home for Unwed Mothers. Although the novel won’t reveal so until Chapter 28, the woman using the name Evelyn from this point on is actually Maggie.

Evelyn (the real Maggie) is in medical school. She’s visiting Ottawa for a protest, advocating for women’s reproductive rights. The protesters call themselves the “Abortion Caravan.” As she heads to the protest, Evelyn reflects on her experience as one of only two women in her class at medical school. There, she met her close friend (and future husband) Tom and lived with the other woman in her class, Marie. Evelyn recalls accompanying Marie to have an abortion—still illegal at that time but performed by Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who is an advocate for women’s rights and who provides underground abortions in safe settings. Evelyn is deeply moved by his work, and she asked if he would train her to provide abortions since she is now a doctor. He agreed but warned her that the work can be dangerous as it is illegal and must be done in secret.

At the protest, Evelyn meets Paula, an activist for women’s reproductive rights.