One of the goals for 2011 of the Campaign for Reproductive Health and Access is the advancement of legislation to reduce unintended pregnancy, STI’s and HIV/AIDS among youth. Legislation entitled Illinois’ Personal Responsibility Education Program will be filed during the November veto session. This legislation will require that elementary or secondary public schools currently offering sexual health education courses adopt curriculum that is medically accurate, developmentally and age appropriate, and free of bias related to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity. In the last month, Governor Quinn has rejected federal Title V funds, which only support failed abstinence-only programs, and has instead applied for federal Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) funds that support programs proven effective at helping young people make healthy decisions. These PREP funds will be available for implementing this comprehensive sexual health education legislation should the bill become law. A bill has been drafted and we are in the initial stages of garnering support, preparing materials and considering sponsors.

This morning, RH Reality Check and the ACLU are publishing the words of Amy S, a lifelong Illinois resident, who was faced with the news that the baby she was carrying had a catastrophic brain malformation.

In her own words:

The genetics counselor confirmed the prognosis. If the baby was carried to term, he would essentially be a vegetable. He would never sit, eat, or recognize his parents. He would have seizures, not be able to regulate his temperature or blood sugar, and likely be in great, great pain. And I thought, no way. Not my child. I would not let him suffer and die because I couldn't muster the courage to do what I had to do for him to pass away in a more humane way.

Read the whole story. Thank you to Amy for your courage in sharing your experiences.

Do you have a story to share? We're listening. Visit action.aclu.org/rhstories or go to http://acluroadtrip.org.

Crossposted at acluroadtrip.org

Don't miss Khadine's introductory post at RH Reality Check and the ACLU's Blog of Rights.

An excerpt:

My first road-trip was back in '99, the summer I graduated from college. I convinced my friend Ben that it would be a good idea to pack our stuff into a Penske Truck and move from Jamaica Plain, MA to Berkeley, CA. I don't know what excited me more - actually living in California (aka the activist promised land) or the 5-day, 11 state road-trip we were about to embark on.

We made mix tapes that served as the perfect soundtrack to our experience; we saw parts of the country that I was always curious about; we ate awful rest area "food"; and we learned that the salt lakes in Utah are really made of salt (I was curious, we pulled over, I tasted it and (1) it was salty and (2) my tongue was numb for the next half hour).

Read the rest!