PPIA Congratulates Bruce Rauner on Election Win

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Planned Parenthood Illinois Action Congratulates Bruce Rauner on Election Win

Chicago (11/5/14) — Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA), the non-partisan political and advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood in Illinois, congratulates Bruce Rauner for winning the race for Governor of Illinois.

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“During his candidacy, Bruce Rauner repeatedly said he was pro-choice. He also said he supports employer-based insurance coverage for birth control,” said Carole Brite, President and CEO of PPIA. “We welcome the opportunity to work with Governor-elect Rauner to ensure that pro-choice policies are supported during his term.”

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In order to reduce unintended pregnancies and keep women healthy, all women must have access to a broad range of women’s healthcare services including life-saving cancer screenings, birth control, prevention and treatment of STDs, breast health services, Pap tests, sexual health education, information and counseling.

“We hope that Bruce Rauner will strengthen the Illinois Medicaid and Illinois Family Planning Programs to make sure that low-income women have access to quality, comprehensive reproductive healthcare. We urge Mr. Rauner to appoint leaders to state agencies who understand how important these programs are to Illinois women and their families,” added Brite. “And, we look forward to working with him to explore ways of ensuring that Illinois women who lack adequate employer-based health insurance have access to affordable birth control.”

In addition to access to reproductive health services, PPIA supports the implementation of a new sexual health education law which requires instruction in public schools to be medically accurate, age-appropriate, evidence-based, and complete.

“Illinois youth need to have accurate and comprehensive information, including birth control information, in order to stay safe and healthy,” commented Brite. “We know Bruce Rauner expressed interest in the education of Illinois youth and we urge him to support the implementation of quality, complete sexual health education in all of Illinois’ public schools.”

Planned Parenthood Illinois Action is committed to working with Governor-elect Rauner on implementing these policies, protecting women’s healthcare in Illinois, and making sure all women throughout the state have equal access to vital reproductive healthcare services.

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Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL). For more information, visit www.ppiaction.org.

Contact:
Jacqueline Priego
312-592-6800
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This post was created by Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA). PPIA is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL).

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PLANNED PARENTHOOD ILLINOIS ACTION ENDORSES LISA MADIGAN

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD ILLINOIS ACTION ENDORSES LISA MADIGAN

Attorney General Madigan on the Correct Side of Hobby Lobby Case

Chicago (July 8, 2014) —  In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision granting employers the power to deny women’ reproductive healths benefits to their employees, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action announced its solid support today for Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s re-election campaign, emphasizing the importance of the Attorney General’s role in protecting reproductive freedom and healthcare for women. “In light of the recent ruling in the Hobby Lobby case, it is even more important that Illinoisans vote for a candidate who will stand up for a woman’s right to access birth control, which is basic healthcare for women. That candidate is Lisa Madigan,” said Carole Brite, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action.

In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, Attorney General Madigan filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that for-profit corporations cannot force their religious beliefs onto their employees and refuse to cover reproductive health insurance to its employees.

“Planned Parenthood Illinois Action is endorsing Lisa Madigan because she believes that personal healthcare decisions should be left to a woman, her family, and her faith, with the counsel of her doctor or healthcare professional,” said Brite. “Lisa knows that women don’t turn to politicians or their bosses for advice about mammograms, prenatal care, or birth control. Politicians and bosses should not be involved in a woman’s personal medical decisions.”

“Banning access to contraceptives and reproductive healthcare is bad for the women of Illinois and bad for their families,” said Pamela Sutherland, Vice President of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action. “We need to re-elect Lisa Madigan because she is key to protecting our rights.  Unlike her opponent, she knows the Supreme Court got it wrong in Hobby Lobby and she believes Roe v. Wade should be protected, not overturned.”

Lisa Madigan is seeking re-election as Attorney General in November so that she can continue advocating for and protecting the people of Illinois, including women and their rights to reproductive healthcare. “I am proud to have Planned Parenthood’s endorsement, and I applaud its longstanding work to ensure all women have access to reproductive healthcare,” said Lisa Madigan. 

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Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL). For more information, visit www.ppiaction.org.

Contact:
Jacqueline Priego
312-592-6800

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This post was created by Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA). PPIA is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL).

Connect with PPIA on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube.
Connect with PPIL on Google+ and LinkedIn.
Subscribe to our blog feed.   

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Not Your Boss’s Business

Not Your Boss’s Business

By Carole Brite

President & CEO

Planned Parenthood of Illinois

Carole Brite

Last week I listened to a young woman tell her moving story about what affordable birth control has meant for her. The story started with heartbreak and ended with a happy, thriving family.

Diagnosed with endometriosis at age 17, Courtney endured severe pain and far worse, a serious threat to her longstanding dream of being a mother someday.  The only way she managed through her difficult years college and grad school was to get low cost birth control—the most effective treatment—at Planned Parenthood of Illinois. Courtney is now 35, and her two young children are the biggest blessings in her life.

If the owners of two for-profit companies have their way, stories like Courtney’s may not have happy endings for millions of American women and families. This week the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in cases brought by Hobby Lobby, a for-profit chain of arts and crafts stores, and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp, for-profit cabinetmakers, whose owners claim that their personal beliefs should give them the privilege to pick and choose which parts of the health care law they comply with and which they do not. Despite the fact that the law requires insurance plans to cover birth control, they want the right to deny their employees this coverage.

The owners are cloaking their arguments in claims of religious freedom. Their own, that is. Not yours or mine or someone who works in their cabinet-making shop or rings up customers in an arts and crafts store.

And so the slippery slope begins. If your boss at the arts and craft store can say no to your birth control, what’s next? Imagine a world where your boss could deny your spouse access to a life-saving blood transfusion, or mental health services for your loved ones, or recommended vaccines for your children—all based on nothing more than his or her personal opinions. 

There is so much at stake here, not only for the 27 million women who are already eligible to receive birth control without a co-pay, but for the millions of other Americans who, if the court decides in favor of the owners, could lose coverage of the care they need if their bosses say they don’t believe in it.

Every day at Planned Parenthood, I see how the birth control services and other top quality preventive care we provide is helping women achieve their goals, maintain their health, plan their families, and live financially independent lives. Birth control is basic preventive health care for millions of American women—and the decision to use it should be made by a woman and her doctor, not her boss. Access to basic care should not be dependent upon where you work or your employer’s personal opinions.

We look to the Supreme Court to rule on the side of common sense in the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties cases. Getting a job at an arts and crafts store is not the same as joining a church, and for-profit corporations are not the same as people who have religious beliefs.  

Your birth control is none of your boss’s business.

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This post was created by Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL). PPIL provides comprehensive reproductive healthcare services and education to more than 60,000 Illinoisans each year. Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of PPIL.

Connect with PPIL on Google+ and LinkedIn.
Connect with PPIA on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube.
Subscribe to our blog feed.