Our servicewomen protect our freedom - it's time to return the favor.

Sexual assault has long held a unique place in our nation’s abortion debate – all but the most extreme anti-choice politicians will concede that abortion in the case of rape is a right that ought to be protected.

But while the mainstream American public may consider it an essential freedom, women in military uniform – those who dedicate their lives to fighting for a different type of freedom – are not granted equal access to abortion after sexual assault. According to an article in the Boston Globe, members of the military are the only category of federal employee whose insurance does not cover abortion in instances of rape or incest, even as rape remains an alarming problem within the armed forces. According to the Service Women’s Action Network, an estimated 19,000 instances of sexual assault occurred in the military in 2010 alone.

Fortunately, the US Senate is poised to take up a bill with the power to end this discrimination against American servicewomen by their own government. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire has proposed an amendment to the 2012 defense appropriations bill expanding medical coverage for military women to include abortion for victims of rape or incest, closing a loophole that has been allowed to remain on the books for far too long. While military authorities have a long way to go in fixing the larger problem of sexual assault among men and women in uniform, Sen. Shaheen’s amendment is an important step towards addressing the needs and rights of military women they deserve.


We at Planned Parenthood call upon members of the US Senate to give women in the armed forces the same rights as the civilians they protect. We encourage you to do the same – click here to send a message through the ACLU to your elected representative!

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Planned Parenthood gives thanks to our volunteers

The time between last year’s Thanksgiving and this one has been an interesting ride for Planned Parenthood, to say the least.  The past 12 months have seen a nonstop legislative assault on women at all levels of government, making this one of the most difficult times in our organization’s history.

Which is why, as we take time to give thanks this week, we’re more grateful than ever for you, our incredible supporters and volunteers.  While we can’t begin thank you enough for the support you give us every day, we’re going to try our best:

Thank you for standing strong in the face of unprecedented challenges.  Thank you for raising your voices loud and clear for women and against attacks on their health. Thank you for signing our petitions and attending our rallies, whether they be to pass sex education legislation on the state level or protect birth control nationwide.  Thank you for your 1,102 postcards to legislators, your 11,047 volunteer hours, your 1,373 campus activities, your 35,619 phone calls activating supporters, the 453 doors you’ve knocked on, and the 35,000 new supporters who’ve joined our ranks this year.  Thank you for showing us – and the world – that the Planned Parenthood family is stronger than ever.

The numbers alone say enough about how lucky we are to have you standing with us.  But to put those numbers in perspective, here’s what all of your hard work has allowed us to accomplish this year:

-       Expand our health services.  Over the past year, we’ve introduced the nonsurgical permanent birth control Essure in our Aurora center, increased access to long-lasting methods such as the IUD and Implanon, expanded our cancer screening services and began offering ella, an FDA-approved emergency contraception pill.

-       Upgrade our health center facilities.  In September, we unveiled a new and improved Wicker Park center, renovated to accommodate more patients than ever, and have launched plans to do the same for our center in Champaign.

-       Improve access to care.  This past year saw a spike in enrollment in the Illinois Healthy Women program for African American and Latina patients, up 64% from 2010.  With a greater need than ever for affordable care for low-income women, we’ve remained committed to our role as a quality health care provider for all.

-       Improve young people’s health education.  We worked with Chicago Public Schools’ Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, held Teen Clinic Days for our community education staff to work with teens directly.  Our teen volunteers were active themselves, with central Illinois’ Teen Awareness Group providing peer education, participating in lobby days and letter-writing campaigns, and even attending PPFA’s Public Policy Conference in Washington, DC this past July.

From all of us here at Planned Parenthood of Illinois to you, have a wonderful Thanksgiving – you deserve it!

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CDC report highlights the importance of GYT

The CDC's latest annual report on sexually transmitted infections, released this week, contains both good news and bad news about the state of STIs in 2010.

The good news is that the year saw rates of syphilis fall for the first time in nearly a decade.  The bad news is that STIs still remain a significant problem in the US, with 19 million new infections each year (at a cost of $17 billion dollars to the health care system).  Gonorrhea and chlamydia, the other two infections measured in the report, haven't followed syphilis' pattern.  Rates of gonorrhea rose slightly, while chlamydia saw an uptick consistent with its rising rates over the past 20 years.  While much of chlamydia's increase is due to a higher rate of screening, fewer than half of all sexually active women have ever been screened at all, an indication that rates for the disease are higher than reported.

Just as worrying as these trends are the disparities they reveal.  While syphilis may be on the decline overall, its rate of infection among young gay African American men has more than doubled, following the same pattern as the rate of HIV infection.  African Americans and Hispanics carry a disproportionate burden for STIs in general, with rates far higher than those of whites.  Young people aged 15-24 are similarly at risk, accounting for half of all new infections even as they represent only a quarter of sexually active people in the United States.

Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's  National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, was quoted on these disparities:

"It's really what these represent in terms of differences in health insurance coverage, employment status, in ability to access preventive services or curative services.  These are all factors which are going to have a huge impact on communities as well as individuals who are vulnerable to acquiring STDs or not getting them diagnosed early."

Here at Planned Parenthood, we're dedicated to increasing access to affordable, quality care, including STI education, screening and treatment, regardless of ability to pay.  We've touted the message of GYT (Get Yourself Tested) before, and we'll do it again - the best way to protect yourself and others is to know your status.  To make an appointment, click here or call 800-230-PLAN.

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood, STIs

Ask the President to stand strong on birth control!

When the first Planned Parenthood clinic opened its doors in 1916, birth control was not only contentious, but legally banned.  Women had no autonomy over their bodies or the size of their families, and those who tried to change the status quo by providing contraception and information – including Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger – were often arrested and jailed.

Thankfully, a lot of things have changed for women since then – women can vote, sign contracts, have their own bank accounts, and initiate a divorce, to name a few.  Perhaps most importantly, women can space and limit the number of children they have, cutting down sharply on maternal and infant mortality rates.  We’d be hard-pressed to find someone out there who wouldn’t consider this progress.

Or so we thought, anyway.  It seems that many of today’s lawmakers and religious leaders are trying their best to bring women back to that time of restricted rights.  

First it was November 1’s House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing.  Rep. Joe Pitts (yes, that is the same Joe Pitts of anti-woman “Protect Life Act” notoriety), chairman of the subcommittee, convened the hearing to allow himself and fellow anti-choice legislators to speak in opposition to the recent Health and Human Services decision requiring birth control coverage without co-pay, which extends its benefits to all women regardless of income level.

Then it was the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which over the last few weeks has ramped up its pressure on President Obama to expand the already existing coverage exemption to disastrous new limits.  While churches and other religious institutions are already exempt from including birth control in employee health plans, the bishops are now calling for the same to apply to Catholic hospitals, charities, schools, colleges and universities – a change that would leave millions of women without coverage for contraception, regardless of their religious affiliation. These are nurses, teachers, janitors, and other workers who should not be discriminated against and denied a benefit that the vast majority of Americans will receive. There is already an unfair refusal provision in the women’s preventive benefit, which health advocates strongly oppose.‪‪


We think that Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said it best in her piece this week for the Huffington Post:

“99% of women in the U.S. who have been sexually active have used birth control. It's used by women of every demographic, every geographic location, every income level – and every religious group.”

So, to Rep. Pitts and his allies, here are a few things you should know, courtesy of that other 99%:

By fighting to take away birth control, you’re fighting against something that benefits millions of the women and families.  You’re fighting to take away something that the Institute of Medicine has linked to improved maternal health and that the American Medical Association has recognized as an integral part of medical practice since the 1930s.  You’re fighting against one of the best tools we have to cut down on unintended pregnancy, which more than half of all American women will experience by age 45.  

Anti-women leaders have made their voices heard, and now women and women’s health advocates need to do the same.  Planned Parenthood calls on supporters to stand up for birth control and urges President Obama to stand strong for this essential part of preventive care.  If you are one of the 71 percent of Americans who supports health plans covering birth control without co-pay, click here to send a letter to President Obama!

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Bedsider: A new resource center for birth control information

As you already know, we here at Planned Parenthood firmly believe that birth control is an essential part of basic health care for women. But we also know that between the pill, the patch, the ring, the IUD, the male condom, the female condom and the diaphragm – to name a few – birth control can sometimes seem anything BUT basic.

Luckily, a new online tool was launched this past week to help women aged 18-29 untangle the often-confusing world of birth control options. Bedsider, an application by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, helps women both to choose which method works best for them and to lean how to use their chosen method correctly and consistently. Each method of pregnancy prevention – including abstinence and emergency contraception – has its information broken down by effectiveness, side effects, effort, cost and accessibility, as well as tips and videos from real people who’ve used it in the past.

One you’ve got your method picked out, Bedsider allows you to make a personalized account, which you can fill in with reminders for doses or doctor’s appointments. Still want to learn more? Check out the section on sex fact and fiction or the one on birth control media coverage, or read “Frisky Fridays,” Bedsider’s weekly column on “sex, life, love and kicking ass" - and to see some truly hilarious PSA videos, click here.

Given that over half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, simply using birth control clearly isn’t enough. What’s important is using it correctly and consistently - and right now, that's a feat often easier said than done. We urge all women to brush up on their birth control knowledge, talk to their doctors and their partners. To meet with a health care provider about your birth control options, book an appointment at your local Planned Parenthood health center.

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Attention 2012 Candidates: Women Are Watching

Mitt Romney: “As President, I will end funding for abortion advocates like Planned Parenthood.”

Gov. Rick Perry: “Roe v. Wade is nothing more than a shameful footnote in our nation’s history books.”

Rep. Steve King: “We will one day see an end to the ghastly and ghoulish and gruesome procedures that are sometimes described as women’s health services. They are not, and they are not good for women’s health either.”

These are just a small representation of the anti-woman rhetoric that these three have spouted over the course of their political careers – and they, in turn, are a small representation of the candidates and elected officials working to roll back women’s health. For years, we’ve been listening to politicians try their hardest to convince the public that a nation more hostile to women is, somehow, a better one.

Well, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund is here to deliver a message to all those running for office in the 2012 elections: We, along with the women of America, are far from convinced. And we’re watching you.

This past Tuesday marked the debut of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s newest campaign, Women are Watching. Now that we're only a year out from Election Day 2012, candidates from both parties need to know that the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and our supporters are fed up with the seemingly unending barrage of legislation against women’s health and we plan to make our voices heard all the way through this year and into the voting booths. We are watching because women deserve elected officials who care about their health and their lives, and we are watching so that we can think, act and vote to protect the health of our family, our friends, our neighbors and ourselves. Visit www.womenarewatching.org to sign the pledge to do the same!

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Victory in Mississippi!

Like many others around the country, we at Planned Parenthood of Illinois were waiting anxiously to hear the results of Mississippi’s vote on Amendment 26 (otherwise know as the “Personhood Amendment), a dangerous state ballot initiative that would extend to all fertilized eggs the same legal rights as the living, breathing women who carry them. We are thrilled to announce that Amendment 26, has been defeated!

People from clergy members to medical professionals to anti-choice politicians denounced the ballot initiative, recognizing it as a misguided and dangerous effort that would have done far more harm than good to the people of Mississippi. Planned Parenthood is thrilled that voters stopped this effort in its tracks.

Mississippi voters rejected the so-called ‘personhood’ amendment because they understood it is government gone too far, and would have allowed government to have control over personal decisions that should be left up to a woman, her family, her doctor and her faith, including keeping a woman with a life-threatening pregnancy from getting the care she needs, and criminalizing everything from abortion to common forms of birth control such as the pill and the IUD.

This is an amazing victory for women's health! And we couldn't have done it without your support. Thousands of supporters across the nation made calls to Mississippi voters telling them to vote NO on November 8. A special thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers who made calls from Illinois - you have made a big difference to women in Mississippi!

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood, No On 26

Thank you, Governor Quinn!

In a political climate currently dominated by anti-choice rhetoric and legislative assaults on women’s health, it takes true integrity for a politician to stand up for women and advocate for the rights of his or her female constituents.

Luckily for us in Illinois, we have a champion for women’s health in Governor Pat Quinn, who recently made the decision to present an award at an upcoming event for Personal PAC, an organization dedicated to supporting pro-choice candidates in state elections. The award will be presented to a rape survivor and victim advocate who was courageous enough to share her own story in order to help others. We commend both Gov. Quinn and Personal PAC’s awardee for their dedication to protecting women’s health.

Unfortunately, there are some who condemn these efforts rather than offer the praise they deserve. The Catholic Conference of Illinois yesterday released a statement by the state’s bishops condemning Gov. Quinn for his work and Planned Parenthood for ours.

What the statement neglects to mention, however, is the urgent need for the work that we do. By supporting organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Gov. Quinn is supporting access to essential reproductive care for thousands of men and women each year, many of who have no other place to go. He is supporting the preventive services that make up more than 90% of our work, including contraceptive services, STI prevention and treatment and lifesaving cancer screenings. And in supporting Personal PAC, he is committing to protect this access against the anti-choice politicians who have of late become all too common.

We are extremely disappointed in the Bishops’ statement and in their belief that standing up for women is anything less than laudable. Governor Quinn, thank you for being a true champion of women’s health care! Please join us in thanking Governor Quinn by sending him an e-thank you letter!

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Tell your representative to vote YES on HB 3027!

Many of the ideas we promote here at Planned Parenthood can be boiled down to a simple cause-and-effect, "if-then" formula. For example:

If a person uses condoms during sex, then that person is at much lower risk for an unplanned pregnancy or an STI.

If a parent talks openly with his or her child about sex, then that child is much more likely to make healthy and positive sexual decisions.

And if a public school in Illinois offers sexual health education in grades 6-12, then the curriculum should be medically accurate as well as developmentally- and age-appropriate.

That last one is the aim of HB 3027, a bill that will be taken up for consideration by the Illinois House of Representatives – and one that our state desperately needs. Currently, Illinois does not require any comprehensive sex education to be taught in its public schools, meaning that not all youth are receiving accurate medical information.

Some students, of course, are lucky enough to be in classrooms where accurate, honest information is the norm. But then there are the students who aren’t so lucky – and their lack of access to essential health information has played a hand in giving Illinois its terrible report card in sexual health. We currently rank 18th out of all states in teen birth rate, 6th in rate of HIV transmission, and 3rd for infections of chlamydia and gonorrhea. 

One of the best tools we have in the fight to reverse these trends is the young people who call Illinois home. By empowering them to make sexually healthy decisions, we can cut down on rates of unintended pregnancy, HIV and other STIs – but that can’t happen without the necessary knowledge. Take action today and tell your representative to support HB 3027! 

Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood, sex education