Chicago City Council Committee Passes 8-Foot 'Bubble Zone' for Health Care Facilities

BREAKING NEWS: This morning, the Chicago City Council Committee passed an 8-foot 'Bubble Zone' for health care facilities with a vote of 2-0. PPIL would like to praise the committee for passing this ordinance, which will help protect patients from intimidation and harassment when receiving health care services. Below is a statement from PPIL President and CEO, Steve Trombley:

Planned Parenthood of Illinois Statement of the Passage of the 8-Foot 'Bubble Zone' for Health Care Facilities by City Council Committee

Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) applauds the Human Relations Committee and lead sponsor of the Chicago City Council and lead sponsor Alderman Vi Daley (D-43) for passing an expansion of the Disorderly Conduct Ordinance to include an 8-foot no approach or 'bubble zone' within 50 feet of hospitals, medical clinics and health care facilities in Chicago.

In recent years, reproductive health care facilities have been the scene of mass demonstrations and disturbances that blocked patients and staff from entering clinics safely.

A bubble zone of eight feet will help ensure that those giving and seeking health care can safely enter and leave medical facilities, keep entrances open, maintain distance between individuals, minimize physical contact and reduce harassment and intimidation.

The bubble zone balances the need to protect patient and staff safety while preserving the freedom of speech.

Bubble zones are in place all over the country, and courts across the nation, from the Supreme Court down, have ruled that safety zones provide an important guarantee of public safety in a fair and constitutional manner that still preserves free speech rights.

Since Dr. George Tiller was assassinated in Wichita in May for providing abortions, PPIL has seen a significant surge in the size and aggressiveness of protestors in front of our health centers. Our clients deserve the right to receive the health care they need without putting their safety, and the safety of our staff and volunteers, in jeopardy.

Steve Trombley
President & CEO
Planned Parenthood of Illinois

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Bubble Zone

Think You Could Be the Next Superstar Intern for Planned Parenthood?

Hello, my name is James. I'm the new E-Organizing intern for Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL). I'm also a full-time student at DePaul University, where I'm pursuing a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design.

When PPIL asked me to become a part of their E-Organizing program, I saw it as a great opportunity to finally work with others on a creative and professional level, and to learn more about issues on reproductive rights and health care. Some of my responsibilities for PPIL include re-organizing the interfaces of their social networking sites, producing computer-based graphics, and incorporating additional interactive content that make it easier for people to access our health services, as well as our volunteer opportunities.

I've been with the organization for about four weeks now and I've enjoyed every minute of it! Contrary to the idea of a stereotypical internship where you might have to make coffee runs and pick up dry cleaning, I spend the majority of my time browsing through PPIL's social networking sites such as MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook to try and find ways to make them both user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. My work is done primarily in a welcoming office setting, where I have my own cubical and desktop PC. My co-workers are very approachable and willing to accommodate any questions or concerns I have. In such a comforting work space, I'm able to feel more motivated and confident in the work I produce for the organization.

As my internship progresses, I plan to play a more active role in communicating with people on PPIL's social networking sites. By taking part in the creation of more written content, and producing "tweets" and blogs, I think I'll be able to learn even more about Planned Parenthood and their mission. Also, I feel that this experience will help me grow as a visual communicator.

With just about a month remaining, I find it hard to believe that my internship is almost halfway over. It definitely has been an exciting and gratifying experience so far-- from producing basic HTML codes to designing sleek imagery on Photoshop. I will certainly miss those responsibilities when I leave - not to mention, being able to check out all the trendy restaurants located near their office. With that, I'm very excited for all of the upcoming projects and excited to continue to share ideas both in the office and online!

Think you'd like to intern with Planned Parenthood? Check out this link to see what positions are available and follow the simple steps to apply!

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood of Illinois, internship

Medication Abortion to be Offered at Springfield Health Center

Planned Parenthood of Illinois is committed to making sure that a full range of reproductive health care services is available in Illinois. As a health care provider in Springfield for over 35 years, Planned Parenthood knows that the women of that area need access to a wider range of services closer to home. That's why PPIL is pleased to announce that in the coming months we will begin offering medical abortion services at our Health Center in Springfield.

See today's article in the State Journal-Register here.

After a careful assessment of the needs of patients and the community, PPIL decided to expand services to include medication abortion so that women will have more choices available to them. Expansion of medication abortion to the Springfield Health Center will provide access for women who would otherwise have to travel 100 miles or more for care.

Each year PPIL provides more than 10,000 health care visits for Springfield area residents. In Fiscal Year 2009, the Springfield Health Center administered more than 994 pregnancy tests. Twenty-eight percent of these were positive.

Sangamon County is home to some of the highest birth rates, including teen birth rates, in Illinois. Nearly half of all pregnancies in Illinois are unintended. And many of the women who come to the Springfield Health Center and find out they are pregnant request help in obtaining abortion services.

Unfortunately, there are only four abortion providers in downstate Illinois - one in Peoria, two in Champaign (including PPIL's Champaign Health Center) and one in Granite City. The travel and time required by going to another city can be a challenge for many women who already face barriers to accessing health care. This is particularly true for low-income women who do not have the financial resources for transportation. The women of the Springfield area deserve better.

For more information on Planned Parenthood health services, visit this link. To find a health center closest to you, click here.

Technorati tags: medication abortion, Planned Parenthood of Illinois

Addressing the Hypocrisies of Health Care Reform Critics

Check out this article printed in the Chicago Tribune on Sept. 6th by Arthur Caplan. In his opinion piece, titled "Calling out all the hypocrisies," Caplan questions the motives behind those who rant and rave about keeping the government out of health care decisions, when in fact, these are some of the same people who approve of legislators determining what doctors can and can't do with regard to abortion.

Caplan asks, "...why is it that when the subject is abortion and state officials stick their noses right into the practice of medicine, we don't hear a peep from the same crowd about the evil government actually playing a role in how medicine is practiced?"

He goes on to discuss state laws that mandate that pregnant women receive an ultrasound from a doctor before an abortion. He sites an example in Oklahoma in which a 2008 statute explicitly mandated that doctors not only provide an ultrasound for every woman, regardless of whether she wanted one, but also went further by saying that doctors had to discuss the ultrasound image with the woman. He rightly points out that the anti-government interference argument with regard to Obama's public plan is purely an effort to distract people from the real conversation.

Caplan concludes, "Let's see how loudly those who say government has absolutely no role to play in mandating anything about health care in this country speak out against the Oklahoma statute. I suspect the silence will be deafening. When it suits their purposes, those who claim to be horrified that government might play a role in getting you health insurance are hypocritically tolerant of a government bureaucrat telling your doctor what to do."

Couldn't have said it better myself. Read the full article here.


Technorati tags: health care reform, informed consent laws, abortion