Jane Against the World: Roe v Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights

A review by Hannah, Tanya, Caley, Samuel, and Kaylyn

Karen Blumenthal Biography:

Reading and writing on important subjects are actions that were heavily pursued with passion by Karen Blumenthal, author of Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights. Born on March 18, 1959, Karen Blumenthal came from lawyer and social worker parents and grew up in Dallas, Texas (Seelye). This city is where her love for reading and writing begins at the Dallas Public Library. Blumenthal recounted that, as a child, she would spend extended amounts of time at this library while having an exceptional interest in sports literature (About the Author). Leaving Texas in her college years, she attended Duke University in North Carolina and majored in economics, having the original dream of pursuing accounting (About the Author). This changed, however, as she became more involved with the student paper, The Chronicle, leading her to pursue her initial career of financial writing (Seelye). Post graduation for Blumenthal in the 1980s meant working at both the Dallas Morning News as a reporter and the Wall Street Journal in their Dallas bureau (Seelye). Following this, she also earned a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University (Seelye). It was also around this time that she would meet and work against and work with her husband Scott McCartney, together with whom she had two daughters (Seelye). Among her work at these two companies, Blumenthal took up financial writing for many years, having it become some of her more recognizable work outside of her nonfiction writing (About the Author). With this long track record of financial writing and reporting, Blumenthal ended up making a change in the kind of writing she took up. She wrote about her change in focus, saying that, “I decided to try my hand at writing for young people” (About the Author). Many important works of nonfiction followed including the text we have selected, Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights. To Blumenthal, this meant writing informative, thought provoking, and historically based literature for younger audiences that was intended to aid the driving of social change (Seelye). This shift in her work came not long before her unexpected death at 61 years old on May 28, 2020, after which she received two posthumous awards (Seelye). First, she was given the 2020 James Madison award and then also received the 2021 May Dickson Exall award, granted to her for her work and dedication to the Dallas Public Library (About the Author).

Book Review:

Karen Blumenthal’s Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight For Reproductive Rights thoroughly examines the events that led up to Roe v Wade’s ruling and the violence and indecision that continues to follow today. Blumenthal chronologically breaks down the history of birth control and abortion to explain to young readers the importance of a woman having the right to control her body and determine her future. The writing compacts all essential information dating back from the 1800s to 2016, which is impressive for a 318-page book for young adults. Blumenthal wanted to write about the history of Roe v. Wade but found herself engulfed in a larger story about “women’s rights, reproductive rights, racial discrimination, medicine, and religion” (Blumenthal 335).

Writing a historical nonfiction book requires a lot of research behind it. Blumenthal takes her journalistic background in order to report the true events in the correct manner. She is thorough in recounting the events that surround Roe v. Wade, but with her audience being young adult readers, they may get lost throughout all the facts. Blumenthal tries to counter the lengthy factual parts by incorporating storytelling and the “Pregnant Pause”. The storytelling comes in to add to Blumenthal’s research because a lot of them are stories that are personal and seem to be more “behind the scenes” related. For example, she tells the story of Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, the man who wrote the majority opinion in Roe v. Wade. He struggled with his approach to the assignment he had and how he asked his wife and three daughters about their views on abortion. Along with his own research, he was able to gain insight from discussions like this. These small stories within the paragraphs of more formal history were used adequately to allow the reader to remember that these events were happening to real people and that many would be affected by the decision one way or another. Blumenthal’s other counter to strict facts was ironically more facts. Even so, these facts gave a break to the strict prose of the overall argument of the book and explained the background of an event or person with storytelling, diagrams, images, and table breakdowns. Although these counters were effective at times, the facts may still be too much for young readers to get through.

The positive aspect of Blumenthal’s facts was the credibility she builds up early on. All the small details convey that she knows what she is talking about and is confident to argue against opposing views. Blumenthal does not hold back to censor young readers from the human anatomy and the consequences of women not having control of their bodies with the help of professionals. The message of unsafe abortions equating to increase deaths of women is clear and the other thing Blumenthal makes sure of is to connect how politicians of the conservative party know of this fact. Republican Assemblywoman Constance Cook remembers trying to repeal laws against abortion and fellow politicians “admitted that I was right, but no way would they ever vote with me” (Blumenthal 118). Blumenthal uses the most important pieces of information to give people insight into the truth about Roe v. Wade and the fight for women to have control of their bodies.

Instructional Resources:

Roe v. Wade:

Roe v. Wade Case Brief Summary This is a very short YouTube video, around a minute and thirty seconds, that briefly explains the Roe v. Wade case without any opinion behind it. This is a good resource to show students before reading the novel, in case they have no idea what Roe v. Wade is or they are confused about the basic case behind it.

Current News about Roe v. Wade This is a collection of articles by the New York Times that covers any current news about abortion in the United States. Any article published on the New York Times website about abortion or regarding pregnancy will be placed into this collection, so this is a good resource to give students so they can stay on top of national news regarding abortion.

Roe and Marginalized Women This is a brief lesson plan, published by PBS, centered around teaching students the direct effects of overturning Roe v. Wade and how these effects will negatively impact marginalized women. The lesson plan gives background on the recent decisions regarding Roe v. Wade, videos on how these decisions will affect Black women and domestic abuse victims, and discussion questions the teacher could use with their students. It also provides a class activity centered around brainstorming and calculating the cost of getting an abortion if a women has to travel out of state.

Supreme Court Procedures This is a government funded website about the United States Courts that details the procedures of how the Supreme Court functions. This website is detailed and can be complicated for younger students, so a teacher could summarize the key points of the article in class, either whilst the students are reading the novel or after. It might also be helpful to create a fill-in-the-blanks worksheet around this website, to make sure students understand the basic points of how a case travels and is handled by the Supreme Court Justices.

What You Need to Know About Abortion:

History of Contraception A compiled timeline of the history of contraception from PBS, beginning in 384 B.C. and ending in 1990. This tool could be used as a reference while reading, for context of what methods of contraception were available to both men and women during each time period during the novel.

History of Women's Accomplishments A compiled timeline from the History Channel of the most notable milestones accomplished by women throughout history, starting in 1776 with Abigail Adams and ending with Kamala Harris in 2021. This information would be beneficial for students to learn before reading the novel, as it shows what women were able to accomplish alongside their fight for freedom of choice.

Planned Parenthood A website from Planned Parenthood meant to help teach the general population about aspects of sexual health. Students can learn about abortion, contraception, cancer, gender identity, sexual orientation, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), and pregnancy. They also provide links to ask anonymous questions and find answers about sex, relationships, and overall health and wellness. They have separate links for teens, parents, and educators in order to help each demographic in the best way possible. This link should be provided for students before, during, and after reading the novel, as a method of research for the topics discussed in the novel but also for personal use outside of class.

Roe v Wade v Rubella This is a podcast from the Science History Institute about how Rubella changed the minds of thousands of people in favor of a woman's right to choose. The podcast is a little over fifty minutes long, and should be either played in class or assigned for students to listen to before they read the "Right to Life" section in "Part II: Reform" of the novel. This will give them background into the disease and help them to understand how much of an impact this disease had on the minds of pregnant women who, up until that point, had never considered getting or supporting an abortion.

What do People Think?

Historical Opinions on Abortion This is a news article published by American Progress that details a history of public opinion towards abortion, including religious perspectives, and how these views influenced the fight for abortion rights. This could be used as a reference for students whilst reading the novel or as a warm-up article before students begin to read the novel. It gives students a sense of context behind where recorded abortions truly started in America, as well as identifying false statements regarding abortion history made by other sources in the media.

Recent Opinions on Abortion (2022) This is a fact sheet by the Pew Research Center that describes public opinion on abortion from 1995 to 2022. It shows general opinions based on religious affiliation, political party, ideology, gender, race, ethnicity, age, and level of education. This would be an interesting source to peruse after completing the novel as a way to demonstrate what factors can contribute to someone’s opinion of abortion and how this information is relevant today.

Common Core Standards:

Group Activity 1:

RI.9-10.2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

RI.11-12.3. Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

SL.9-10.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Group Activity 2:

SL.11-12.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on- one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

RL.11-12.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

RL.11-12.2. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

Vocab Quiz:

L.9-10.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Individual Activity:

W.11-12.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

W.11-12.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

W.11-12.7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

W.11-12.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation including footnotes and endnotes. CA

W.11-12.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Lesson Plan

Instructional Plan (one week):

Day 1(Monday):

Introduce the main activity prompt for essay and the main activity and go over essay prompt and paper requirements.
Show powerpoint of history of issues with Roe v. Wade, women’s rights, and abortion using examples not from the novel
Teacher will read out loud to students in class

Day 2(Tuesday):

Students will be shown a Youtube video of the history of Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision. During the video, students will be asked to write down ten facts from the video and turn it in for participation points.
Students will complete group activity number one and present
Students will be given time to read silently to finish class
Vocab quiz study guide will be handed out as they are walking out the door

Day 3(Wednesday):

Students will come complete group activity two
Vocab quiz will be given every Wednesday using select terms from novel
Class will go over the vocab terms and the context in which they are used in the novel
Teacher will read out loud to students till end of class

Day 4(Thursday):

Teacher will go over how to use library databases and check for peer reviewed articles
Teacher will provide powerpoint of YA literature examples of feminist novels and historical non-fiction novels
Students will be introduced to individual activity and will be given time in class to work on assignment and find examples/ask questions
Whatever is not finished is taken home and turned in the morning the next day

Day 5(Friday):

Teacher will go over most common missed questions on the activities of the week
Teacher will review the assigned chapters for the week
Students will be asked to complete one page summary of chapters assigned for the week
Students will be given the choice to read individually or for the teacher to read out loud

Instructional (main) Activity:

Preview: Activities are meant to help students better understand and encourage them to further educate themselves of the issues with womens rights/abortion/Roe v. Wade through literature. Using the novel being read in class, Jane Against the World, students will complete four different activities for that week- main activity, individual activity, and two group activities in class.

In the main activity students will be given an essay prompt ahead of time before beginning the novel so they can gather evidence/annotate while reading. The main activity being an essay, the prompt given would be examples from the novel, Jane Against the World, of issues with Roe v. Wade/womens rights/abortion (one paragraph on each including quotes from the book) that we see from the 19th century that carried over to present day.

Group Activity 1:

Getting in groups of 3-4 students, students will complete a list of examples using quotes and page numbers from the book of how religious proclamations contribute to Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. Each student in the group needs to have an example and share out loud their quote and the page it was found on. Activity will be turned in at the end of class for credit/participation.

Group Activity 2:

Students will get into four groups evenly and analyze how the novel causes readers to sit with/ponder the question of what the future will hold for many families, the foster care system, unwanted pregnancies, and the repeated past of women’s rights. Using quotes from the book each group will be assigned a topic (topics for groups highlighted above) and asked to give a reasonable conclusion of possible outcomes using examples/quotes in the novel of what the future holds for each topic. Groups will come up in front of class and share.

Vocab Quiz:

Handout containing 15 vocab terms will be passed out to students on Tuesday for them to study for quiz Wednesday

Individual Activity:

The novel Jane Against the World, can both be seen as a feminist novel and as a historical novel. Using library databases, students will search the terms “feminist novel” and “historical novel” and decide which category the novelbest falls under. Using two outside sources and two examples/quotes from the novel, students will turn in a short 1-2 page paper of their research.

Lesson Goals:

This week's goals for this lesson plan is for students to become better educated about women's rights both in the past and in the present. Students will be able to use context clues from literature that provide examples of the demonstration of knowledge of women's rights and the topics pertaining to it from the past, the present, and the future. Students will be educated about many different topic pertaining women’s rights such as unwanted pregnancies, abortion and the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. Students will learn to use the evidence and examples from the literature and apply it to the current issues we see with women’s rights and the recent Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in the present world around them today.

Instructional Resources:

Powerpoint to be shown in class-

https://www.slideshare.net/AhmadAlJifri1/roe-v-wade-abortion

Youtube video to be shown in class-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIiTGFdT4IM

Vocab Study Guide:

*All terms to study are located in the back of the novel*

Abortifacient
Diaphragm
Embryo
Dilation and evacuation
Fetus
Pessary
Viability
Vacuum aspiration abortion
Rhythm method
Fertilization

Vocab Quiz:

Directions:

Below are ten terms listed from the glossary of legal and medical terms in the back of the novel, Jane Against the World. Next to each term, provide a definition using 1-3 sentences for each term.

Abortifacient:

Diaphragm:

Embryo:

Dilation and evacuation:

Fetus:

Pessary:

Viability:

Vacuum aspiration abortion:

Rhythm method:

Fertilization:

Directions:

Using five terms of your choice from the list, use the vocab/medical terms in a sentence.

Works Cited

“A Timeline of Contraception.” PBS, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/pill-timeline/. Accessed 7 December 2022.

Blumenthal, Karen. Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights. Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC, 2020.

Dine, Ranana. “Scarlet Letters: Getting the History of Abortion and Contraception Right.” CAP, 8 August 2013, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/scarlet-letters-getting-the-history-of-abortion-and-contraception-right/. Accessed 7 December 2022.

“Get the Facts on Sexual Health.” Planned Parenthood, https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn. Accessed 7 December 2022.

Kamin, Leo and Chi, Evelyn. “Lesson plan: How overturning Roe will adversely affect historically marginalized women.” PBS, 13 July 2022, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/classroom/2022/07/lesson-plan-how-overturning-roe-will-adversely-affect-black-women-poor-women-and-domestic-violence-survivors/. Accessed 7 December 2022.

Pedrick, Alexis and Drago, Elisabeth Berry. “Roe v. Wade v. Rubella: The virus that made America talk about abortion.” Distillations, Science History Institute, 17 December 2019, https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/podcast/roe-v-wade-v-rubella. Accessed 7 December 2022.

“Public Opinion on Abortion.” Pew Research Center, 17 May 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/fact-sheet/public-opinion-on-abortion/. Accessed 7 December 2022.

“Roe v. Wade Case Brief Summary: Law Case Explained.” YouTube, uploaded by Quimbee, 15 March 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CezlmUwMXNo. Accessed 7 December 2022.

Seelye, Katharine Q. “Karen Blumenthal, 61, Dies; Journalist Turned Young-Adult Author.” The New York Times, May 31, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/books/karen-blumenthal-dead.html. Accessed 7, December 2022.

“Supreme Court and Roe v. Wade.” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/roe-v-wade-supreme-court-abortion#:~:text=On%20June%2024%2C%202022%2C%20the,about%20half%20of%20the%20states. Accessed 7 December 2022.

“Supreme Court Procedures.” United States Courts, https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/supreme-1. Accessed 7 December 2022.

“Women’s History Milestones: A Timeline.” HISTORY, 24 June 2022, https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline. Accessed 7 December 2022.

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