On May 22, a documentary called "aka jane roe" premiered on Disney's pay-TV platform fx channel, which immediately attracted great attention from all walks of life in the United States. The documentary's protagonist, Norma McCorvey, died of illness more than three years ago in February 2017. And this documentary was filmed in the half a year before her death.
Just as the so-called "people will die, their words are good", Norma McCovey, who knows that time is short, revealed a shocking secret in front of the camera, which is related to an important public case in the history of the United States, which has affected the vital interests of countless American women and is still concerned today. Over the past few years, the film's director, Nick Sweeney, and his team have kept this secret tight-lipped. Now, with the public broadcast of this documentary, the past that happened decades ago, the mysteries behind it, have finally come to light, and the ups and downs and constantly reversed life story of Norma McCovey has once again become a hot topic in the media and social networks, making hundreds of millions of American viewers in front of the TV set cry out incredible.
What is the big secret, and how legendary is the life of Norma McCovey? Everything needs to start from the beginning.
Norma joins the anti-abortion campaign
A life hidden behind a pseudonym
Norma McCovey was born into an ordinary family in Louisiana in 1947. Her father did not say goodbye shortly after her birth, and Norma's mother, Mary, had to work odd jobs in restaurants to raise her daughter alone. My mother had a problem with alcoholism, and when she was in a bad mood, a few glasses of yellow soup fell into her stomach and she would punch and kick Little Norma. At the age of ten, Norma, at the instigation of her friends and in a playful mood, dared to rob a convenience store and was sent to a local women's correctional institution. A few years later, she returned to society, but there was no place for her in society. Her mother entrusted her to the care of a cousin who not only disregarded her affection, but also completely lost her humanity. Norma suffered all kinds of abuse and sexual assault in his home, and completely lost hope in the world.
At the age of sixteen, Norma, who was supposed to have the best time of her life, dropped out of high school and followed in her mother's footsteps as a waiter in a restaurant. She met Woody McCovey, a blue-collar worker seven years older than herself, and six weeks later, she entered the palace of marriage under the sweet talk of the other party. At the age of eighteen, Norma McCovey herself became a mother. But it wasn't long before custody of her daughter Melissa was taken away by Norma's mother, on the grounds that she, who was now insecure with her own life, was unable to raise the child alone. Yes, before that, because she couldn't stand her husband's punches and kicks, Norma had gone through divorce with McCovey. After that, Norma became pregnant again, and the child she gave birth to was transferred to someone else for adoption.
In September 1969, at the age of 22, Norma found herself pregnant again. At this time, she has long been living in a fixed place and living on the street. She earns her life on her meager income from cleaning, and a significant portion of it is spent on alcohol and drugs. Desperate, Norma decides to go to an abortion. At this time, the United States, New York and California had taken the lead in legalizing abortion, but norma still regarded it as illegal in the state of Texas where Norma lived. Rich people can go to New York and other places to legally have a fetus; those who have the courage can also risk failing surgery and go to the local underground clinic for abortion. But for Norma, money and guts, she lacks.
It was then that she was introduced to two new feminist lawyers, Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee, about her age. In their view, the ban on abortion in Texas deeply violates the due rights of local women and violates the U.S. Constitution. They were looking for a suitable plaintiff to take the Texas government to court. Soon, the two sides reached a commission agreement. Norma McCovey, who was pregnant with Liujia, became the plaintiff, taking Dallas District Attorney Henry Wade to court and asking Texas to lift the abortion ban.
The lawsuit was fought protracted, culminating in the U.S. Supreme Court. During this process, Norma never appeared in court even once, and the entire matter was entrusted to two lawyers. During the trial, in order to protect the privacy of the parties, the court did not disclose Norma's true identity, and only used the pseudonym "Jane Luo" as a pronoun - that is, the origin of the title of the documentary "aka Jane Luo" today. Moreover, because she did not want to break the law and could not wait for the judgment of the lawsuit, Norma finally chose to give birth to the child in her womb, and then gave him to someone else for adoption.
In 1973, the Supreme Court finally declared "Jane Rowe" in favor, and Texas and even all states in the United States must henceforth enact legislation to protect women's freedom to choose abortion, because it involves the rights of all American citizens under the Constitution. As a result, the history of American society, justice, and women was rewritten, and two feminist lawyers won various honors, but Norma McCovey was buried behind the pseudonym of "Jane Rowe" and still lived a difficult life for the marginalized of society.
Transformed from a feminist organization spokesperson into a banner figure in the anti-abortion movement
Although the "Jane Rowe" lawsuit was a sensation, because it was covered up under a pseudonym, the life of Norma McCovey outside the lawsuit did not change much. Once, while taking a ride at a fruit shop, she was caught by connie Gonzalez, a female clerk. However, the latter did not choose to call the police, but let her take the vegetables and fruits with her. Soon, Norma was paired with Connie Gonzalez, who was 16 years older than her. Her early years at the women's correctional home allowed her to embrace this lifestyle. However, in the first few years, even for her partner, she was always tight-lipped, never revealing that she was "Jane Luo".
It wasn't until 1980, when she saw that someone in the newspaper openly questioned whether "Jane Rowe" was purely fabricated, norma finally decided not to be silent. She wants to stand up and show her true face. She became acquainted with gloria allred, a prominent feminist lawyer who took her on various pro-abortion rights marches, introduced her to Hollywood celebrities who supported women's rights, and arranged for her to attend elocution training classes to develop Norma's ability to speak in public.
In 1989, Norma McCovey's story was made into the TV movie Roe vs. Wade, and actress Holly Hunter won a TV Emmy Award for her role as Norma McCovey.
The story of Norma McCovey was made into the TV movie Sexual Complaint, with Holly Hunter playing Norma McCovey
In 1994, Norma published her autobiography, I Am Jane Rowe, which became a banner of the Feminist movement in the United States. She also runs an abortion clinic in her hometown of Dallas, helping fellow women seeking "right to choose."
Soon, in the house next door to the clinic, I moved into a nonprofit called Rescue Operations, the nation's most influential anti-abortion organization, headed by a middle-aged pastor named Flip Benham. Soon, the parking lot shared by the two units became the liveliest place in all of Dallas. Pro-abortion and anti-abortion young and old, day and night, are here day and night, shouting and tit-for-tat. In private, however, Norma McCovey became friends with Philip Bingham. According to her second autobiography, Invincibility of Love, it was the priest's great love that touched her.
In 1995, at the age of 48, Norma quit her job at an abortion clinic and was baptized to become a Christian. She joined Operation Rescue, accompanied Bingham and others to various public events to experience first-hand the disadvantages of abortion (although she had never had an abortion herself), and even commissioned a lawyer to reopen the lawsuit, hoping that the Supreme Court would overturn the 1973 trial results and re-declare abortion illegal. Even, in order to cater to the church's attitude toward homosexuality, Norma claimed that she and Connie Gonzalez were only roommates, and even introduced the latter in public as "my aunt". In addition, she set up a foundation under her own name, accepted various donations, and with the autobiography "Invincible Love" up to $80,000 in remuneration, she finally lived a fairly good life.
In his later years, Norma became a prominent figure in the anti-abortion movement
In this way, Norma McCovey was transformed from a spokesperson for a feminist organization into a banner figure in the anti-abortion movement. But in the eyes of the feminist camp on the other side, her "defection to the enemy" without warning has brought them a real blow. They openly criticized Norma's perfidious approach, accusing her of being a good person, and in order to become the public focus again and enjoy the treatment of the stars and the moon again, there was such a 180-degree reversal.
In 2004, Connie suffered a stroke and fell ill, costing the two of them a lot of their savings. In 2006, Norma approached dallas media outlets and publicly asked for help — "We have a problem eating now." Soon after, Norma left her partner, who had lived together for more than thirty years, and found another place to live. She died of heart failure in a Texas nursing home on February 18, 2017, presided over by Pastor Bingham, an "old friend." Her death was also seen as a major loss by anti-abortion groups.
Who would have thought that three years later, in This May, Norma McCovey's life story would be completely reversed again.
Life is like a drama, all rely on acting skills?
The documentary "Aka Jane Rowe" looks back at the ups and downs of Norma McCovey's life, how she went from a bad girl to a spokesperson for a feminist organization, and then resolutely jumped into a hostile camp. About an hour into the film, director Nick Sweeney visits her again at the nursing home, with an oxygen tube in her nostrils, saying that she still has some "dying confessions" to confess.
"Have evangelicals viewed you as their booty over the years?" The director asked her.
"Of course. I'm a celebrity. Norma replied.
"Do they think you're actually using them?"
"I think it's a kind of mutual exploitation. I took their money, they made me appear on camera and arranged for me to say those words. They want me to say whatever I want, I will say. I'm a good actor. ”
Norma McCovey was interviewed by documentary filmmaker Nick Sweeney at a nursing home in her later years
According to the director's afterthought, at that moment, he couldn't believe his ears. To determine whether Norma was for or against freedom of abortion, he pressed again to confirm the other person's true views on the matter.
"If a young woman wants to have an abortion, that's fine. It was her own business, and it had nothing to do with me. That's why they call it the right to choose. That is, it is your own right. ”
Subsequently, the director managed to obtain Norma McCovey's tax profile over the years. The report shows that she has received various types of remuneration from various anti-abortion organizations in the name of "gift money" over the years, totaling $456,911. In other words, it's really all about the money.
Or is there any other reason?
Pastor Schenck (left) admitted to paying Norma to invite her to an anti-abortion campaign
Taking this "dying confession" of Norma, the director directly approached Pastor Binghan. Although the latter also showed a very surprised look, he flatly denied that he had paid Norma anything. On the contrary, Robert Schenck, a pastor who had worked with Norma for a long time, admitted quite frankly that Norma was true, because his own anti-abortion agency paid her every time she was asked for an activity. "Her image alone can bring a lot of donations to organizations like ours." In contrast, the money we paid her was not worth mentioning at all. Many times, I wanted to give her more money, but no matter how much I added, she suffered a loss. He said in the film: "The way those of us who use her is actually very immoral." ”
But Frank Pavone, a pastor who has worked frequently with Norma, denies that his organization has paid Norma. He also analyzed in the film that after Norma was admitted to a nursing home in her later years, many anti-abortion activists who interacted with her frequently in the past gradually faded out of her life. Perhaps it was this that made her feel resentful, which is why she "committed this act of revenge" in the documentary.
In short, the Scythians are dead, and no one can ask Norma McCovey under the Nine Springs about her truest and ultimate thoughts.
In the eyes of the feminist camp, the broadcast of the documentary finally revealed the truth of the matter and returned their belated justice. Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-cortez posted on social media: "After half a day of commotion, it turns out that a large part of the anti-abortion movement was a hoax from the beginning. ”
But on the other hand, don't say what Norma's "dying confession", that is, this whole documentary, is very suspicious. Pastor Frank Pavon said in an interview with the media that Norma had told him about someone asking her to make the documentary. In a text message to him, she said she had "received money" and was happy that "I can make some more money in the last stages of my life." Anti-abortion lawyer Allan Parker also questioned whether director Nick Sweeney "paid her a sum of money, made friends with her, and eventually betrayed her." In the face of doubts, the director had to stand up again to clarify. He told the media that he had indeed paid Norma for the public use of some of her old private photos in the film, but that did not mean that he had paid her to make the film.
In any case, it is no exaggeration to say that Norma McCovey has been the most iconic figure in American society on abortion in the past half century. In the first half and second half of her life, she belonged to two camps, and both played a decisive and important role. Was her change of attitude at that time really inspired by heaven and repentant, or was it purely greedy for money, as she said before her death, and her life was like a drama, all relying on acting skills? I'm afraid everyone has their own answer. Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University who has been following the case for many years, once said: "I think she is indeed a complicated person, and her attitude towards abortion is indeed complicated in her life, but it is precisely because of this that she has become a symbol of the abortion problem in the United States, because the American view on this issue is itself full of contradictions." ”