By Jennifer Panattoni, Senior Patrol Officer, Frankfort Police Department

I always wanted to be a police officer. Helping people has been my main goal in life, and it’s why I wanted to become an officer. I was never prouder than the day I graduated from the police academy.

I’ve worked as a patrol officer for the same department for 14 years, and the department felt like a home and a family.  I even met my husband Joel on the job.  When we got married, we immediately wanted to start a family. We had to try for a few years to have a child. Upon finding out I was pregnant, I couldn’t contain my excitement. 

I told my Chief when I was 12 weeks pregnant, and gave him my doctor’s note. I had a healthy pregnancy and told him that I could still work without restrictions, but I wanted to discuss possible accommodations for when my pregnancy progressed to the point that I could not patrol the streets. I thought the Department would have a policy to accommodate pregnant workers, but I was wrong.

It turns out my chief didn’t even want to have a discussion. I was told that they didn’t want to set a precedent by accommodating pregnant workers and that I only had to be treated the same as someone who broke their leg off-duty.

I wanted to work. I felt I could contribute to the department – conducting witness interviews and helping with crime prevention outreach. There was no flexibility.

It got worse – in big and small ways. The department denied me maternity uniforms or properly fitting body armor that would allow me to patrol safely. I was even refused permission to move items from my patrol belt to other pockets to relieve the strain on my abdomen. As my pregnancy progressed, I had to worry about whether I could still button my uniform or whether my bulletproof vest would pop open at any time with only the slightest movement.  I remember sitting in my patrol car with an ill-fitting uniform and a bulletproof vest that I could barely close. It seemed like I had to choose between my baby and my job. 

After that day, my doctor gave me a note recommending that I switch to clerical work. As soon as I gave that note to my department, I was forced off the job.  To compensate for my lost wages, I had to use all of my paid benefit time and draw on my pension early and at half pay.

I had a healthy, happy baby boy, and returned to work when he was about 10 weeks old. It still took too long to receive the proper equipment and uniform I need to do my work, and I received push-back when I needed to take breaks to pump breast milk. 

I love my job and my department. The decision to file a lawsuit was very hard for me. But I knew I had to speak up. What happened to me was wrong and I don’t want anyone else to go through what I’ve been through. In 2017, police departments should know how to treat their pregnant officers. And they need to follow the law.

Something happened yesterday. Something that may seem like a fairy tale in the current political moment. A Republican governor signed a bill to lift bans on insurance coverage for abortion for low-income women enrolled in Medicaid. The bill would also protect the right to abortion in Illinois — even if the unthinkable happens and Roe v. Wade is overturned.

In signing HB 40, Gov. Bruce Rauner made history: Illinois is the first state in decades to lift their restriction on Medicaid coverage of abortion. That this incredible leap forward for the movement to lift abortion coverage bans happened in Illinois is poetic. After all, it was Illinois Rep. Henry Hyde who, 41 years ago tomorrow, first passed the Hyde Amendment, banning Medicaid from covering abortion and launching four decades of attacks on women’s health and decision-making.

The stunning victory for reproductive justice comes on the heels of months of campaigning by local groups to persuade the governor to sign the bill. Because of this new law, women enrolled in Illinois Medicaid will no longer be barred from using their coverage for abortion. Put simply: The amount of money in your bank account will no longer determine whether you can get an abortion if you need one.

House Bill 40 also removes provisions from Illinois law that deny abortion coverage to some state employees. This bill backs up our state’s values by ending political interference with insurance coverage for abortion and ensuring that a woman isn’t treated differently just because of her income or where she gets her insurance. It is simply common sense: When health programs for women with low incomes cover birth control and abortion — not just childbirth — it’s good for them and it’s good for society as a whole.

Illinois Rep. Henry Hyde’s shameful legacy of banning insurance coverage for abortion has left a trail of devastation in its wake. Research shows that restricting Medicaid coverage of abortion forces one in four poor women seeking abortion to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. And a woman who wants to get an abortion but is denied one is more likely to fall into poverty than a woman who can get the abortion she seeks.

For a low-income woman in Illinois, forced to make an impossible decision between paying for food or rent or paying for an abortion, this is about health, economic security, and being able to live with dignity.

This victory is about more than Illinois: It’s also a powerful message to those across the country who are resisting and persisting. We can make a difference. We can pass laws that support and respect women. We can persuade lawmakers to do the right thing.

I’m grateful to the bill’s sponsors, Representative Feignholtz and Senator Steans, to the Illinois General Assembly, and to Governor Rauner. I’m grateful to our local partners, our statewide reproductive health and access coalition and, of course, our national partners at All* Above All for deep solidarity and incredible advocacy.

Most of all, I’m grateful to every person who wrote an email, made a phone call, wrote a message on a balloon, told a friend or family member about this bill, shared their story, and fought tirelessly until the day was won.

The people, united, can still make a difference in our communities and in this country.