Tell Your Local Paper: Pass Health Care Reform! Stop Stupak!

As you may know by now, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a historic health care reform bill on November 7th. However, an amendment, called the Stupak-Pitts amendment, was adopted in the final hours that would ban private abortion coverage for millions of women in the United States.

Write a letter to the editor today to voice your opinion about this dangerous amendment. Let them know why you're concerned about the health of women in the United States and why you want to stop the Stupak ban! Read about the impact of the Stupak ban here.

- The Stupak ban prohibits millions of women from using their own money to buy private health insurance that provides comprehensive reproductive health care benefits.

- The Stupak ban is a radical proposal that upends the status quo on abortion coverage. It would go far beyond the Hyde amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortion care in most cases.

- The Stupak ban is not only awful policy, it is bad politics. We must ensure that women's health is treated fairly in health reform.

SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR TODAY!

Chicago Tribune:

Submit your letter to the editor by email or submit your letter online by going to this link.

State Journal-Register:

Submit your letter to the editor online by going to this link.

Chicago Sun-Times:

Submit your letter online by going to this link.

TAKE ACTION!

Once you've sent your letter, be sure to sign this online petition to tell President Obama, Majority Leader Reid, and Speaker Pelosi that you demand that they stand up to ensure that women are able to purchase private or public health insurance that offers comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion care.

To find out how you can get involved in other activities in your local community, send an email to volunteer@ppil.org



Technorati tags: stupak amendment, health care reform, planned parenthood

Take Action: Save the Date!

NATIONAL LOBBY DAY

DECEMBER 2, 2009

9:30AM - 4:30PM

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Please join us to lobby the Senate for health care reform that ensures women's access to reproductive health care.

Click here to RSVP.

*Unfortunately, PPIA cannot provide transportation for this event.

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood, Health Care Reform, Stupak Amendment, Lobby Day

Impact of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment on Access to Abortion Coverage and Health Care

What is the potential "real-life" impact of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment? Click to read a comprehensive explanation of what this provision will mean to women, if it is enacted:

ISSUE BRIEF: Impact of Stupak-Pitts Amendment on Access to Abortion Coverage and Care

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood, Health Care Reform, Stupak Amendment

STOP THE STUPAK AMENDMENT!

THE FUTURE OF CHOICE AND WOMEN'S HEALTH IS IN THEIR HANDS.

When it passed a historic health care reform bill, the House also adopted the Stupak amendment, a dangerous piece of legislation that would ban abortion from private and public insurance plans for millions of American women. Fortunately, the fight for women's health didn't end in the House, and our sharp focus is now on the Senate. We are demanding that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ensure that language similar to the Stupak amendment does not become part of the Senate health care reform bill.

It's time for our leaders to stand up and ensure that women's health is treated fairly in health care reform.

President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Reid, and Speaker Pelosi have the power to put a stop to the discriminatory Stupak ban - and it's up to us to help them do it. Click to sign our petition and join the millions of Americans who are speaking out to protect women's health and the right to choose.

Every signature counts. Please share this link to your pro-choice friends!

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood, Health Care Reform, Stupak Amendment

Parental Notification of Abortion Law Creates Barrier to Health Care

The Medical Disciplinary Board is set to meet tomorrow regarding the future of Illinois' Parental Notification of Abortion law. Though the law was supposed to go into effect November 3rd, a grace period extension was issued last Friday. Tomorrow, the Board will either decide to further extend the grace period or ask authorities to start enforcing the law immediately.

During this review process, we hope lawmakers realize how this law puts teens' lives in unnecessary risk. However, despite the outcome, we are committed to doing everything we can to make this new process as easy as possible for teens.

Did you catch today's Chicago Tribune editorial, "Time for parent notice" written in support of the Parental Notification of Abortion law? Read PPIL President & CEO Steve Trombley's response:

The Chicago Tribune's editorial, "Time for parent notice" takes a myopic and dangerous position regarding the issue of parental notification.

While Planned Parenthood of Illinois agrees that in an ideal world, parents would be involved in their teens' health care, and engaged in healthy dialogue around responsible decision making, we believe that government cannot - and should not - mandate this communication.

Most teens seek their parents' advice and counsel when making decisions about their health care. But in some cases, safe and open communication is not possible. In those cases, research shows parental notice laws do not enhance parent-teen communication, but they may be harmful to teens' health and well-being.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois feels strongly that the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995 puts teens' lives at unnecessary risk. We have seen the harmful impact in other states that have parental involvement laws. In Massachusetts, a thirteen year-old was raped by her mother's boyfriend. When she became pregnant, she felt that she could not turn to her mother.

When she found out that in order to have an abortion she would have to either tell her mother or get a court order, she decided that she simply could not face a judge. Left without any other option, she told her mother. Her mother responded by calling her a "slut" and throwing her out of the house. This is just one story among many that illustrate the dangerous impact this law will have.

And that is why every leading medical organization - including the American Medical Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, The Society for Adolescent Medicine, and The American Public Health Association - publicly opposes forced parental involvement laws. They recognize these laws impose serious and irreversible harms with no justification.

The Tribune editorial references how a minor who can't get an aspirin from a nurse without permission, but completely overlooks the inconsistent policies we have in Illinois regarding minors' rights to make their own health care decisions. Illinois law permits pregnant minors to make all other medical decisions - even those involving far greater risk than a safe, legal abortion - without involving a parent or going to court. A pregnant minor can decide to continue her pregnancy and give birth, can consent to far riskier medical care, such as a cesarean section, and can place her child for adoption, all without involving a parent.

If our government and the courts really care about our teenage sons and daughters, it should focus on giving them the information they need to make responsible decisions and continue to encourage healthy family communication, not erect barriers to critical health care services.

Steve Trombley, President & CEO
Planned Parenthood of Illinois

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Parental Notification