Saving Jane Doe [Paperback]

Suffering complications after obtaining an illegal abortion, a young mother of three nearly loses her life and does lose her family. Saving Jane Doe is the story of her quest to restore her relationship with her children. It is told by Dr. Cara Land, the young doctor who meets her while a medical student and becomes her lifelong friend. When Jane Doe is homeless, penniless, alone, and jobless, Cara helps her land a job working as a housekeeper for a wise and wealthy, elderly widower, Caras Uncle Henry.Because of her circumstances following the abortion, Jane finds herself with unique opportunities to assist each of her children when they face their own difficult choices, but honesty and forgiveness are needed before she can help. It takes years for her to overcome her shame and to be honest with her children about why she suddenly left and did not return home. Two of the three children feel abandoned and unloved and have difficulty forgiving her. Only Grace, the youngest daughter and least flawed character, never withdraws in anger, but in her innocence she still suffers.After reading Saving Jane Doe you will want a doctor and friend like Cara Land. You will wish you had the wise counsel of Uncle Henry. You will see that one mistake need not define your life. Finally, you will see that there is power in love and forgiveness.In January of 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in the Roe v. Wade case and abortion became legal. For good, Betty the Butcher was out of business. For bad, millions of unborn babies would die and their mothers would live with the guilt and shame of it.Saturday, January 13, 1973, dawned a beautiful, sunny winter day and we decided to visit some antique shops in Washington, a small historic town about an hour-and-a-half drive from Lexington. Jessie wanted an antique desk and while I did not share her interest in antiques, I thought it would be a good way to get her out and into a new place. I was still feeling disappointed that her exposure to the Uls*