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Be Active/Stay Active
Join the
Planned Parenthood Action Network.
This network allows us to keep you informed on state and local issues
that affect reproductive health. Once signed up you will receive email
updates that keep you informed or allow you to easily contact your legislators
to express your opinion on reproductive health issues.
Although clinical services routinely appear to be the primary focus of Planned Parenthood, advocacy for reproductive rights is equally if not more important. Only when a woman has the capability to decide for herself whether and when to have children can she enjoy a working career and space children to best guarantee her health and theirs. A very vocal group of anti-choice hardliners is rapidly eroding a woman's ability to make her own decisions. And make no mistake, this is not just about abortion, but routine contraception as well, which many women justifiably have taken for granted. Whether it is the pill, patch or any other hormonal delivery system, it sometimes works by denying implantation to a fertilized egg. This is being construed as an abortion by those who do not want women to control their own lives.
A bill was introduced in the Ohio House this year to allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense medications if they believe doing so would be against their religious or moral beliefs. So if a pharmacist believes a contraceptive pill is equivalent to an abortion, or if they simply do not believe in contraception, they could refuse to dispense the prescription to any woman. They would be welcome to impose their beliefs on anyone else, and deny a prescription written by a medical professional. This is really dangerous ground.
Ohio Senator Theresa Fedor has introduced, for the second time, the Contraceptive Equity bill which would require any medical insurance plan that covers preventive prescription drugs to cover prescription contraceptives in the same way. Not doing so has already been determined to be an act of discrimination against women. The Ohio Senate leadership did not even assign the bill to committee for a hearing.
If you care
that women continue to have the choice to control their fertility, click
here and join the Planned Parenthood Action Network. You will periodically
receive emails that allow you to easily contact your state and/or federal
legislators to express your opinion about a pending bill or committee
action that will affect your rights to control your own life. If it is
easier for you, you can also signup at any Planned Parenthood Center.
Drop Into
One of Our Health Centers and Register to Vote.
The only way to protect our rights is to have legislators that believe
in our values. Voting is the only way to express your opinion and change
what you do not like. Planned Parenthood of Northwest Ohio can register
you as a voter - simply walk into any clinic and ask for the registration
form. We will make sure it gets to the proper election board.
You can make a difference by voting and letting your legislators know where you stand on issues important to you. If the 22,000,000 registered women who did not vote in the last election had voted, the outcome certainly would have been clear, and perhaps different.
Challenge
Your Elected Representatives on Their Positions.
Click here for a list of key questions for public officials. You can
print this list to ask candidates in public forums.
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©
2008 Planned Parenthood of Northwest
Ohio, Inc. |