As we close out Women’s History Month, we’re reflecting on the fact that every right we have exists because people organized, spoke up, and refused to be silent. People like Dr. Toni Bond, one of the founders of the Reproductive Justice framework and former Chicago Abortion Fund Executive Director; the women of the Jane Collective, who built a secret abortion network in Chicago that provided over 11,000 abortions before abortion was legal; and the women clergy of the Chicago Clergy Consultation Service that provided counseling and referrals for safe abortions in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This is what keeps me going. I won’t let them down.
What We’re Working On
Here’s what PPAC is focused on right now and how you can be part of it.
This past month was all about the primary elections, and we ended election night with clear victories for reproductive freedom and abortion access. Throughout our primary endorsement process, we had so many thoughtful and nuanced conversations with candidates about what we can do to protect and expand abortion access at every level of government. Now, we’re gearing up for November, planning our statewide postcard campaign and extending our endorsement process to more local races. If you want to get more involved this year, sign up for our volunteer list today!
What You Can Do
Your actions make a difference. Here’s how you can help this month.
Call for volunteers in Danville and Urbana-Champaign! Illinois is welcoming a new clinic, Affirmative Care Solutions, which has just opened their doors. This is a huge win for abortion and reproductive health care access in central Illinois.
ACS and their partners at the Feminist Majority Foundation are looking for supportive community members who are interested in volunteering as clinic escorts. Please fill out this form (or send it to folks you know in the area!) for more information on the vetting and training process.
What Brings Us Hope
Your actions make a difference. Here’s how you can help this month.
Last weekend we joined thousands of people at the No Kings rally and march to say: Hands off Chicago! Hands off our bodies! Hands off our health care! Thanks to everyone who showed out at the No Kings rally and stopped by to chat with us about abortion access. We are so proud to work alongside our friends at the Chicago Abortion Fund and the amazing providers of Illinois!
What We’re Reading
A reminder that change is possible and you’re not alone in this fight.
- Slate: “Republicans Have a New Plan to Trick People Into Voting Against Abortion Rights.” The anti-abortion movement continues to push further in Missouri, this time with a ballot measure that would criminalize most abortions and further attack gender-affirming care in the state. Remember, voters in Missouri passed a reproductive freedom amendment in 2024, but subsequent lawsuits and actions by the state legislature have heavily restricted abortion access to the point where patients find it extremely difficult or impossible to access care in their home state.
- Reuters: “Senate Republicans launch probe of abortion pill makers, escalate pressure on FDA.” On the federal level, abortion medication remains under attack by Senate Republicans who wish the FDA would move faster in the “investigations” into the abortion medication mifepristone. Mifepristone was approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago and is considered to be safer than Viagra and penicillin!
- Abortion, Every Day: For a deeper dive, we enjoyed journalist and commentator Jessica Valenti’s conversation with Dr. Shelley Sella, provider and author of Beyond Limits!
Messaging Tips: Say This, Not That
This month’s messaging tip is about later abortion care. Personal PAC has always fought for abortion access, with no exceptions, and the full range of reproductive health care includes abortion care throughout pregnancy. It’s important to recognize when we might slip into the language of the anti-abortion movement — and they’ve worked really hard to drive the conversation away from medically accurate, compassionate terms and towards stigma!
In solidarity,
Sarah Garza Resnick
Personal PAC president & CEO