Reproductive Rights are Human Rights

Did you hear that? That was the sound of Planned Parenthood giving the United Nations a giant high five. This past Monday, the UN released a report telling the world what we’ve been saying all along – that restrictions on abortion and contraception are not only dangerous to women’s health, but also a violation of basic human rights.

Based on years of legal analysis and discussions with human rights experts and written by Anand Grover, a UN-appointed authority on public health, the report calls out backwards anti-woman policies enacted under the name of “public morality”:

“When criminal laws and legal restrictions used to regulate public health are neither evidence-based nor proportionate, States should refrain from using them to regulate sexual and reproductive health, as they not only violate the right to health of affected individuals, but also contradict their own public health justification.”

To put it simply – laws banning abortion don’t actually succeed in banning abortion. What they do succeed in doing is forcing women into unhealthy and unsafe situations that jeopardize their well-being, their families and even their lives (ahem, Mississippi). For policy that’s essentially ineffective in what it tries to do, a ban on abortion carries a heavy price. And don’t even get us started on the twisted logic behind restricting contraception, education and sexual health services, an action that achieves nothing more than the disempowerment of the women it claims to protect.


Unfortunately, this situation is currently the reality for a quarter of the world’s female population. Abortion is forbidden in all cases in eight nations and severely restricted or punished in many more. Access to contraceptive services and sex education are, for many women and girls around the globe, difficult or impossible to obtain. And disturbingly, several lawmakers right here in the US are doing their best to bring this reality home.

Here’s hoping that all member states of the United Nations – the US included – heed the warnings and recommendations of this report. Planned Parenthood calls upon lawmakers across the country and the world to work on building a future in which women are respected, trusted, and given the rights they deserve. 
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HPV prevention - not just for girls anymore

Few health issues have caused so much controversy over the last few months as the HPV vaccine, which has gotten itself a nasty (and, more importantly, blatantly false) reputation on the Republican presidential campaign trail as a green light for teen sex and even as a cause of mental illness.

It’s a good thing our current government has the common sense not to buy into these ignorant claims. In particular, we want to give kudos to the CDC, whose Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted today to add the HPV vaccine to its list of recommendations for boys.

 

The committee chose unanimously to recommend the vaccine for boys aged 11 and 12, mirroring the same age recommendation that the CDC has in place for girls. The decision marks a step up from the CDC’s previous stance on the issue – while the vaccine has been FDA-approved for boys for some time now, today marks the first time that it will be actively promoted as opposed to simply allowed.

News from the medical world shows that the decision was long overdue. According to a study published this month, HPV is the leading cause of throat and oral cancers, both of which are on the rise. That’s on top of its links to genital warts, anal, penile and vaginal cancers, most cases of cervical cancer, and even heart disease – and the fact that HPV is the most common STI by a landslide, affecting over half of all sexually active adults at some point in their lives.

With a list like that, it's clear that the CDC’s decision couldn’t be a better one – HPV doesn’t discriminate between men and women, and neither should parents and young people who care about their health. At Planned Parenthood, we believe that prevention is the best form of health care, which is why we offer the vaccine to people of all genders at our health centers. Book an appointment today to protect yourself or your child from HPV or to talk to a health care provider about whether the vaccine is right for you.

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Be a Leader. Change the World. Volunteer.

Here at Planned Parenthood, we love our volunteers.  We depend on our dedicated activists and volunteers to promote and protect reproductive rights and freedom in Illinois. Our volunteers devote countless hours of service every year and Planned Parenthood wouldn't be what it is today without them!

Why don't you join us in hitting the streets, phones and mailboxes of pro-choice supporters to ensure that choice is protected in our state?  To learn more about our volunteer program, send us an email at volunteer@ppil.org or click here to see a list of volunteer opportunities.

Check out this cool chart of information from the Corporation for National and Community Service.  See what volunteering in 2011 looks like in terms of numbers.

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Football fans out there may have noticed something unusual on the field in recent weeks – the wave of pink making its way into players’ uniforms. No, the NFL-wide costume change has nothing to do with Halloween. But it does have to do with something often considered to be just as scary – breast cancer, the disease that affects more than 230,000 new women and men in the United States each year.

One of the most frightening things about breast cancer, though, is the amount of misinformation out there about who’s at risk and how to prevent it. Luckily, a recent article from the Chicago Tribune helps to separate fact from fiction. Here are a few of the most common misconceptions they cited:

Myth: All breast lumps are cancerous.
Fact: 8 out of 10 breast lumps are benign (not cancerous).

Myth: Only “old” women get breast cancer.
Fact: 25 percent of women with breast cancer are younger than 50.

Myth: If no one in your family has breast cancer, you won’t get it.
Fact: Only 15 to 20 percent of women with breast cancer have a family history of the disease.

The prevalence of these myths is one of many reasons that women put off their recommended breast cancer screening, a quick doctor’s visit that could yield a potentially lifesaving result. Early detection through breast exams and mammograms is key to finding and stopping cancer at its most treatable stage.

The NFL may be donning pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month only, bur Planned Parenthood is here to help year-round. Call your local health center or make an appointment to find out about cancer prevention, breast health, and the services available to you.

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Where in the world is Planned Parenthood?

One out of every five women in the United States has visited a Planned Parenthood health center at some point in her life. With a statistic like that, it’s easy to conceive of the impact that our health care, education and advocacy efforts have on people you see and interact with each day.

But the part of our work that more often goes unnoticed is the part that’s happening ten time zones and thousands of miles away. When we say that Planned Parenthood works to protect the health and rights of women everywhere, we really do mean everywhere – which is why last week marked the launch of Planned Parenthood Global, an initiative dedicated to building partnerships with and providing support to like-minded organizations in developing countries.

“We are an incubator, seeking innovative solutions from our partners on the ground and helping those ideas grow into national advocacy and health care campaigns,” said Latanya Mapp Frett, Planned Parenthood’s Global Vice President.

Planned Parenthood’s global reach began in 1971 as Family Planning International Assistance (FIPA), a program funded by USAID to improve reproductive health in dozens of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. When the global gag rule dissolved FIPA in the 1980s, Planned Parenthood was forced to scale back its international programming, focusing on Sub-Saharan African and Latin American communities with the greatest unmet need. And now, as our international activities enter their fifth decade, Planned Parenthood has revamped our mission once again to focus on implementing programs that can successfully be replicated and scaled up across cultures.

So while we work hard to make sure you can see the impact of Planned Parenthood and the work that we do to keep women healthy here in Illinois, we think it’s important to tell you a little bit about what’s going on a few continents over. In northern Nigeria, for example, Planned Parenthood Global works with local religious leaders to promote contraceptive use to their congregations, breaking down the stigma that community members often attach to reproductive health care. In Kenya, we partner with a club that organizes soccer games for girls, helping them to integrate lessons on HIV and pregnancy prevention into team meetings. And in Peru, we help a local rainforest preservation group train health outreach workers in family planning methods, increasing access to reproductive health services in hard-to-reach communities. 

As part of the program launch, Planned Parenthood Global has released “Health Has No Borders,” a brochure that tells the stories what we’re up to in these communities and several more around the world. To learn more, check out the online version here.

To sign up for the Planned Parenthood Global newsletter, click here.

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CDC reports teen condom use is on the rise

 The Center for Disease control released some encouraging news this past Wednesday in its National Survey of Family Growth, reporting that condom use among teenagers is on the rise.  Eighty percent of teen males surveyed said they had used a condom during their first sexual experience, a nine percent increase from the last NSFG survey in 2002.  The survey also found an increase from ten to sixteen percent in teens who reported using a dual method of protection, such as condoms used in conjunction with the birth control pill.

The CDC’s good news is consistent with related trends in recent years, such as the decrease in national teen pregnancy rates.  Despite these positives, however, there is still work to be done.  Or as Planned Parenthood Vice President of Education Leslie Kantor said in a statement today, “This is no time to become complacent.”

Here’s why.  The United States still has the highest rate of teen pregnancy of all developed countries, and the risks associated with sexual activity are especially high among certain minority groups.  African-American females are less likely to use birth control the first time they have sex, while Hispanic males are more likely to forego condoms.  In addition, teens whose sexual partners are more than four years older are much less likely to use any form of contraception at all. 

Planned Parenthood is committed to tackling and one day eliminating these problems.  Our educational programs and health center services give teens access to the information and care they need to stay healthy and safe, and teach parents learn how to support their teenage children in maintaining their health. 

To learn more about Planned Parenthood’s educational programs in your area, click here – because while eighty percent condom use the first time is great, one hundred percent all the time is even better.

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Senator Durbin Receives International Family Planning Hero Award

This morning, Planned Parenthood, the United Nations Foundation (UNF), Congressman Mike Quigley, Representative Barbara Flynn Currie and more than 100 constituents honored Senator Dick Durbin with the International Family Planning Award.

Senator Durbin received this award from PPFA, PPIL and UNF for his leadership in supporting funding for international family planning programs and women's health care across the globe. Senator Durbin has stood for election more than 12 times in the House and Senate as pro-family planning - he always does everything in his power to preserve the right of women to access affordable, preventive health care.

"Senator Durbin is an unparalleled champion of women's health care," said Carole Brite, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois. "We're proud to have a leader in our home state who is committed to improving women's access to affordable, preventive health care,"

Senator Durbin addressed the event attendees about the importance of supporting family planning around the world:

"International family planning is fundamental to improving the health and livelihood of women and their families around the globe," said Senator Durbin. "These programs also increase stability and spur development in some of the world's poorest communities, helping us also achieve important development and security goals."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves. Thank you for everything you do, Senator Durbin! We look forward to continuing to work together to increase access to women's health care here and across the globe.

(From left): Timothy Wirth, President, United Nations Foundation, Carole Brite, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Senator Dick Durbin, Robert Gallucci, President, MacArthur Foundation, Lyn Schollett, Vice Chairperson, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

 
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Happy 95th birthday, Planned Parenthood!

On October 16, 1916 a small clinic opened in Brooklyn, New York to provide local men and women with contraception and birth control information. In the decades since that day, that same clinic has grown into the nation’s leading women’s health care provider and advocate, serving millions of men, women and teens each year.

And now, here we are, 95 years old and still talking about sex.

But we’ve been doing much more than talking – Planned Parenthood has been around for a lot of changes in these past 95 years. Since the days of that small Brooklyn clinic, Planned Parenthood has worked tirelessly to give women of all walks of life access to family planning services. We were a key player in the development of both the birth control pill and the IUD, and it was a Planned Parenthood suit that struck down state laws forbidding contraception within marriage with Griswold vs. Connecticut. The services we’ve provided over the years to help women plan and space their pregnancies have led to dramatic improvements in maternal and infant health, a plummeting infant death rate, and a world of increasingly diverse educational, political, social and professional opportunity for women.

Today, more than five million women, men and teens worldwide count on us for preventive health services and education, and one out of every five American women has come to a Planned Parenthood health center for health information and care. We do more to prevent unintended pregnancy than any other provider or advocate in the US, helping to avert 612,000 unintended pregnancies and 291,000 abortions each year. That’s on top of the one million Pap tests, 830,000 breast exams, four million STI tests and treatments, 1.1 million pregnancy tests, and education programs reaching 1.2 million people in the past year alone.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois is proud to provide health care to more than 60,000 patients each year, and especially proud of the hardworking staff, dedicated volunteers, and steadfast supporters who make it possible. You are the reason that Planned Parenthood has earned the confidence of American women and families and will continue to do so for generations to come. Thanks for helping us get so far – you’re the best birthday present we could ask for!

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood, Sexual Health

Bill Severely Undermines Women’s Access to Care

Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 358, a dangerous bill that undermines women’s access to care, including eliminating protections for women seeking care in emergency situations.    

“This bill is a collection of dangerous ideas that will undermine women’s health,” said Cecile Richards, president of PPFA.  “Most devastating, the bill eliminates protections for patients seeking care in emergency circumstances, and would allow a hospital to deny lifesaving abortion care to a woman, even if a doctor deems it necessary.” 

H.R. 358 is an attempt by House leaders to force consideration of policies that would drastically erode women’s health and reduce access to basic health care services and information.   

The Obama administration has issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) opposing H.R. 358, indicating President Obama would veto H.R. 358 if it passes Congress.

Read the SAP here. 

The bill’s several anti-women’s health provisions include:

• taking comprehensive health care coverage away from women
• eliminating existing protections for women who need an abortion to save their lives
• further expanding current refusal laws that undermine women’s health
• creating loopholes that states and insurance companies could exploit to undermine the requirement that insurance companies provide birth control with no co-pays

Rep Dan Lipinski (D-IL-3) spoke in favor of HR 358.

We commend our very own Judy Biggert (R-IL-13), Mike Quigley (D-IL-5) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9) who spoke out against H.R. 358 on the House floor. 

However, we're deeply disappointed that Illinois' Dan Lipinski (D-IL-3) spoke out in favor of voted for this dangerous bill.

We encourage you to thank your supportive legislators and express your disappointment to Dan Lipinski and other legislators who voted in favor of the bill. Here is a link to the roll call. 

Although H.R. 358 has passed the House, we will remain vigilant in our efforts to stop the bill from passing in the Senate. Thanks to everyone who has already helped by making calls, sending letters and letting legislators know that women's health care MATTERS! 

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood, Abortion

So-called "Protect Life Act" does anything but

It seems that the anti-choice ideology spouted on the Republican presidential campaign trail has inspired lawmakers back on Capitol Hill, where the House will take up H.R. 358, otherwise known as the Protect Life Act, this Friday. 

This newest effort to restrict women’s reproductive freedom would ban federal funding from going towards any health plan that covers abortion and prohibit the government from withholding funds from anti-choice health organizations. The bill would also grant federally funded hospitals the freedom to turn away a woman seeking an abortion for any reason, including to save her life.

…Let’s repeat that.  The Protect Life Act aims to protect life by denying women access to a potentially lifesaving medical procedure.

We don’t get it, either.

One person who doesn’t seem to have a problem with this logic, however, is Rep. Joe Pitts (PA), the author of the act.  A spokesperson for Pitts defended the bill to reporters when it was introduced in February, claiming that it “is only preserving the same rights that medical professionals have had for decades.”

But much like the title of the act itself, this claim is false.  Under current law, all hospitals that receive Medicare or Medicaid funds are required to provide lifesaving emergency care to anyone who walks through their doors – and that includes patients who require emergency abortions.  If a hospital doesn’t have the facilities to do so, it has to transfer that patient to a provider that does.  Under Pitts’ proposed bill, both the emergency treatment and transfer requirements would be lifted, leaving hospitals free to refuse abortion care - even as they receive funds from a government that has deemed the procedure to be fully legal.

Planned Parenthood calls on lawmakers to speak out against H.R. 358 to protect the lives of women and their rights to reproductive health care.  To learn more about abortion care offered in your community, click here.

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A Quick Lesson in Math and Family Planning Programs

Fact #1: The cost to Medicaid of a woman giving birth, from prenatal care through one year of care for mother and infant, is slightly less than $13,000.  Fact #2: The cost to Medicaid of supplying that same woman with one year’s worth of contraception is $257.  Fact #3: After all the numbers have been crunched, studies show that every dollar invested in family planning services saves taxpayers nearly $4.  The bottom line is that women's health programs save lives and save taxpayers money.

So naturally, given the state of the economy and the growing call for the government to reel in costs, the fiscally prudent thing to do would be…cut funding for family planning programs?

Something’s just not adding up. 

But that’s exactly what House Republicans are trying to do with a new budget bill for fiscal year 2012.  Proposed by Rep. Denny Rehberg of Montana, the bill calls for the elimination of Title X, the program that provides family planning services and preventive care for low-income men and women.  Eliminating or cutting funding for these vital programs would have a devastating impact on women's access to basic health care.

Rehberg’s proposal is at best a case of misguided math that would worsen the economic situation it seeks to correct, and at worst a thinly veiled attack on women’s health couched as a means of saving money.  Planned Parenthood calls on all members to reject this attack on the health and rights of the women they serve… and maybe brush up on their math skills, too.

   

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Let's talk about sex

If we listen to the stereotypes of popular culture, it seems like parents and kids alike would rather do just about anything than talk about sex.  We’ve all seen it play out onscreen at some point – a teen and parent sit uncomfortably side by side, the former staring straight ahead as the latter chokes out something along the lines of, “Just, you know, be safe – okay?”  Eye roll, awkward pat on the back, end scene. 

The good news?  It turns out this isn’t a case of art imitating life.  According to a poll released today by Planned Parenthood and the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health, 82 percent of parents say they’ve talked to their kids about sex and issues related to sexuality, including relationships (92 percent) and “their own values about when sex should or should not take place” (87 percent).

The bad news?  For many parents, the talking stops there.  The survey showed lower numbers of parents willing to go into the details of tougher subjects, such as birth control (only 60 percent say they’ve discussed it) and how to say no (only 74 percent).  Over half of parents reported feeling “uncomfortable” or “somewhat comfortable” with any conversation on sex. 

The poll, “Let’s Talk: Are Parents Tackling Crucial Conversations About Sex?”, emphasizes the importance of Let’s Talk Month, a Planned Parenthood initiative to get the conversation flowing.  Kids whose parents have had open discussions about sex are more likely to delay sexual activity, have fewer sexual partners, and are more likely to use contraception than those whose birds and bees talk – or lack thereof – more closely matches that stereotypical scene. 

Over 90 percent of parents are confident in their ability to influence their kids’ sexual decisions – but if we want reality to match that number, it’s time to start talking.  To learn more about how to communicate with your child or parent about sex and sexuality, click here.

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