The War on Contraception – Chicago Heights

Date: Monday, January 30, 2012 Location: Chicago Heights, IL

At both the federal and state level, politicians and extremists are seeking to roll back and limit access to birth control in the U.S.:

• In 2011, voters in Mississippi and Nevada considered and rejected extreme “personhood amendments” which would ban not only abortion, but also emergency contraception and many forms of birth control. The Mississippi amendment, which was defeated at the polls, was endorsed by all major Republican presidential contenders. In 2012, activists are attempting to pass such amendments in six more states.
• Extremists in other states have threatened or cut off Medicaid funding for services provided by Planned Parenthood – money that covers contraception, STD and cancer screenings (but not abortion) for low income and uninsured men and women.
• Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius took the unprecedented step of overruling the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to allow the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step to be sold over-the-counter to consumers of all ages.

While attacks on abortion rights make headlines, attacks on access to birth control and contraceptives are occurring around the nation, and here in Illinois. Join us at this upcoming discussion of how these attacks affect your rights, and what you can do about it:

Lorie Chaiten, Reproductive Rights Project Director, ACLU of Illinois