Happy New Year to all Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana supporters!
It's been a very exciting year for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana. We saw our Prevention First bills introduced in the Indiana General Assembly during the first half of the year and together we helped Indiana elect a pro-choice president this past November.
We are looking forward to working together with our supporters and other like-minded organizations in the coming year to ensure that Hoosiers will always have access to comprehensive and affordable health care.
Now, we are asking you for your feedback. What changes do you envision for health care during the new administration? Let us know! Check out what others are saying by watching the video below, and then send us your thoughts at advocates@ppin.org.
Have a safe and happy New Year!
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana
New Year, Better Health Care?
We Did It!
November 5, 2008
Congratulations Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana! The nation, with historic help from Indiana, elected a pro-choice president!
"This is an incredible day for health care," said Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana President and CEO Betty Cockrum. "We believe the new administration will help the nearly 800,000 Hoosiers without health insurance get the coverage they need and ensure access to quality health care."
Just days before the election, PPAI also received more good news—we exceeded our goal of ensuring that 10,000 pro-choice Hoosier voters agreed that reproductive rights were an important issue for them in this election. Indiana voters made health care issues a priority in this election when they went to the polls, and it's also undeniable that Planned Parenthood supporters made a difference in Indiana.
At the state level, we are holding our heads high as we look toward the 2009 General Assembly. After hours of waiting on Election Day, we received the wonderful news that the Democrats have held on to a majority in the Indiana House of Representatives.
The Indiana House Democrats are crucial allies in our efforts to address the problem of teen pregnancy through our Prevention First legislative package, which ensures medically-accurate sex education and protects access to contraception. We look forward to working with them and our friends in the Senate to make certain that women's health remains a priority in Indiana.
The attention focused on our issues during the election shows that Hoosiers are hungry for a solution to the problem of teen pregnancy and want to protect reproductive health care. If you want to help be a part of the solution, sign the Prevention First petition now and get ready for more hard work in January, when the General Assembly session begins!
Also, take time to celebrate and watch our video.
A Special Message from our President & CEO, Betty Cockrum
First of all, sign the One Million Strong Petition. We are so close to our goal of bringing 10,000 Hoosier voters to the polls on November 4 that we can actually see a future in the state when Indiana politicians address crucial issues facing Indiana, rather than wasting time to chip away at Hoosier women's reproductive health care.
And of course, unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past year, you probably realize that the 2008 General Election is right around the corner...which means the moment when you make your decision and cast your vote will be here before you know it.
The 2008 General Election will go down in history, not just because it's the first time that an African-American is running on the Democratic ticket or because it's the first time there is a woman on the Republican ticket, but also because it's an election that will determine the playing field for the next four years of securing women's reproductive rights!
For those of us who want women all across the United States to continue to have the right to safe and affordable health care, the writing is on the wall. The subjects of women's health care and reproductive rights have played key roles in this election and will continue to sway voters one way or another until the November 4 election. We need your help not only with getting out the vote, but also educating fellow voters on certain candidates' strong or abysmal records on women's health issues.
For your convenience, we have provided documentation from both the Democratic and Republican Party Platforms regarding their stances on reproductive rights:
"The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right."
"The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to comprehensive, affordable family planning services and age-appropriate sex education which empower people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions.
The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support and caring adoption programs."
"We oppose school-based clinics that provide referrals, counseling and related services for abortion and contraception."
"At its core, abortion is a fundamental assault on the sanctity of innocent human life. Every effort should be made to work with women considering abortion to enable and empower them to choose life. We salute those who provide them alternatives, including pregnancy care centers, and we take pride in the tremendous increase in adoptions that has followed Republican legislative initiatives."
Please take the time to educate yourself on every candidate, vote down the ticket and if you can, take the opportunity to vote early in your county. Please don't let women's health care fall through the cracks of a roller coaster election year. Be at the polls and voice your choice.
Be prepared to keep up the fight in your county! Anti-choice groups begin new tactic at the county level in Indiana
September 30, 2008
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana (PPAI) is currently working to protect Hoosier women's reproductive rights and access to health care in a new battle that has sprung up at the county level in several parts of the state.
After repeated failed attempts to pass more abortion restrictions at the state level, opponents of the safe and legal procedure are turning toward county commissioners for help in passing their anti-choice agenda.
Vanderburgh and Dubois counties both recently approved ordinances that would require doctors performing abortions to have hospital admitting privileges in the county or in adjacent counties—ordinances initiated by Indiana Right to Life.
There are already very few doctors who perform abortions and they must often travel to various health centers in different counties. The good news is that abortions are not performed in either Vanderburgh or Dubois counties—lessening the impact of their attempts for the time being.
However, the Allen County Commissioners are currently considering a similar proposal that could directly impact Indiana women, because abortions ARE performed there. There are only five counties in Indiana where abortions are performed and ordinances like these would likely reduce that number even more—creating yet another hurdle for Hoosier women's access to reproductive choice.
One in four women in Indiana must travel more than 50 miles to obtain an abortion—which is a two day process that women more than likely must take two days off work for. Passage of these ordinances in more Indiana counties could increase that travel distance significantly and greatly impact a woman's right to choose.
Supporters of these ordinances say they are about "patient safety," but the reality is that this is indeed another attempt to chip away at reproductive options for Hoosier women. No other invasive medical procedures are targeted in the measures, despite the fact that other procedures are much more dangerous.
We need your help to make sure this fight is won and that women in Indiana continue to have options when it comes to their health care. Please consider becoming an advocate or signing up for our action alerts so we can keep you updated if this senseless restriction will be making its way to your county.
And if you are interested in ensuring that all elected officials realize just how much Hoosiers care about reproductive rights, take a moment to sign the One Million Strong petition and help make PPAI recognized as a voice at the November 4 Election.
Obama, Carson, Long Thompson endorsed as the candidates for women's health Election season heats up
"The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is proud to endorse Barack Obama for president of the United States," said Action Fund president Cecile Richards. "As president, he will improve access to quality health care for women, support and protect a woman's right to choose, support comprehensive sex education to keep our young people healthy and safe, and invest in prevention programs, including family planning services and breast cancer screenings."
In contrast, Sen. John McCain has a 0% rating from the Action Fund. Check out the video link to the right, or the Action Fund's "kNOw McCain" campaign, for more information.
Hear John McCain's thoughts on birth control.
U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, who is running for re-election in Indiana's 7th Congressional District, secured PPAF's endorsement largely due to his strong support for federal legislation that would restore access to affordable birth control for low-income women across the country. "We believe Andre Carson will be a strong and effective leader on behalf of affordable access to the reproductive health services and education that all Americans deserve," said Betty Cockrum, president of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana.
Our sister organization, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana Political Action Committee, has endorsed Jill Long Thompson for governor of Indiana. In endorsing Long Thompson for governor of Indiana, the Planned Parenthood Advocates PAC noted her pro-choice voting record which has included votes in favor of family planning initiatives, as well as access to safe and legal abortions.
"We're thrilled to endorse Jill Long Thompson, a longtime supporter of women's health care," said Cockrum. "As the only PAC in Indiana that focuses on reproductive health care and electing pro-family planning politicians, it's an honor for us to join her long list of progressive backers."
With so much at stake in the 2008 elections, we're going to stand with Long Thompson, and all pro-prevention and pro-choice candidates, and work hard to elect them. We remain thoroughly energized by the incredibly exciting primary season we experienced here in Indiana. For the first time in decades, Indiana played a key role in the presidential primaries, and Planned Parenthood Advocates was on the frontlines working to educate voters and gain support for the Million Strong Campaign.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana has set its goal to attract 10,000 pro-choice voters to the polls this fall as part of this national campaign. So far, we've identified over 7,000 voters, and there is still much more to do. We want you to be part of it!
If you agree that we CAN turn the political atmosphere of Indiana around, take the first step by signing the Million Strong petition and then work on educating yourself and your friends about where the candidates stand on reproductive health. We need to support candidates who see health care and reproductive rights as important political issues in the near future—such as Obama, Carson, and Long Thompson.
Want to do more?
Summer is a great time for advocacy! We'll be out promoting Million Strong and Prevention First, and having tons of fun as well. Here's where we'll be next:
•Indiana Black Expo's Minority Health Fair: July 17-July 20, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis • 78th Annual Tippecanoe County 4-H Fair: July 19-July 26, Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds, Lafayette
Email us for more information on volunteering! We look forward to seeing old and new faces this summer as we work to make Indiana a place where reproductive rights are protected.
Affordable birth control update
In May, the U.S. Senate passed, by a wide margin, a no-cost technical fix that would have restored affordable birth control prices, the House version of which was co-sponsored by Indiana's own Rep. Andre Carson (D, IN- 7). The provision, at no cost to government and taxpayers, would have restored the ability of pharmaceutical companies to offer low-cost drugs to safety-net providers like university health centers and Planned Parenthood.
While the stand-alone bill did not move, the language was amended into the U.S. War Supplemental bill. Sadly, when the War Supplemental bill passed, appropriating funding for the war in Iraq, veterans' benefits, and Midwest flood relief, the birth control pricing fix was stripped out.
Affordable birth control remains a priority issue for the Planned Parenthood family, as it does for millions of women across the county. We will not rest until all women, regardless of income, have access to the birth control method of their choice, at a cost they can afford. Please help by voting for candidates who will join the fight to restore affordable birth control.
2008 Indiana legislative wrap up
March 18, 2008
The 2008 session of Indiana General Assembly, which closed on March 14, marks the third year in a row without the passage of any anti-choice legislation! Given the roller coaster ride we took this session, it may seem hard to believe, but it's true.
The highlights: All four pieces of Prevention First legislation were introduced. These bills to expand access to birth control and quality sex education are an Indiana first. Though, sadly, none of the four got a hearing, several of the ideas were debated when proposed as amendments to other legislation. Indiana legislators are beginning to realize the importance of prevention measures to Hoosiers everywhere. Planned Parenthood Advocates will continue to work with these legislators to secure the passage of Prevention First in the future.
The lowlights: Anti-choice legislation like pharmacist refusals moved further through the legislative process than ever before. See SBs 3, 146, and 187 for details on how several right-wing legislators continued to impose their personal beliefs on health care issues again this session, rather than representing the interest of voters.
Even worse, though, are the legislators who are merely using anti-choice ideas to kill unrelated bills which are otherwise worthy of debate and even passage. This "poison pill" strategy has taken a devastating toll on the legislative process. This session saw an unprecedented 19 unrelated bills affected by 28 amendments which would have detrimentally affected reproductive freedom. These "killer" or "poison pill" amendments propose controversial language solely as an attempt to silence debate on a bill and keep it from advancing.
Bills that died due to these poison pill amendments included a provision recognizing of out-of-state medical licenses in an emergency situation (as in the aftermath of a disaster like Hurricane Katrina) and ten bills on health insurance, including coverage of dialysis treatment, prosthetic devices and long term care. Indiana remains one of only five states without a law to protect citizens from hate crimes, because HB 1076 was again sabotaged by a poison pill. See the full list of 2008 bills affected by poison pill amendments.
It is clear that our rights as Hoosiers to make our own decisions about our personal lives and health mean less to some state lawmakers than campaign contributions. Women's health is being hijacked and used as a bargaining chip in the halls of our statehouse. It's high time legislators learned that women's health is too important to be used as a political toy.
If you are fed up with this kind of sneaky, underhanded behavior from our lawmakers, help us fight it. Our ideological opponents at Indiana Right to Life and Advance America outspend us several times over each year. When you become a member of Advocates, your membership contribution helps us fight for Prevention First legislation and elect pro-prevention Indiana officials.
Join the Planned Parenthood Action Network today for all the latest news and volunteer opportunities from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana. For more information, email us.
Birth Control Protection Needed Now
Planned Parenthood of Indiana recently held Free EC Days at nine health centers around the state (a tenth will happen in Madison April 8). Not everyone was happy, though, about the 270 doses of Emergency Contraception that were distributed. Indiana Right to Life executive director Mike Fichter told the press that he believes EC the equivalent of abortion—which it is NOT.
This is why Prevention First legislation is so important, especially the Birth Control Protection Act, which would separate contraception from regulations on abortion. Please continue showing support by signing the Prevention petition and becoming an Advocates member.
Indiana Senate passes triple threat to women's health
January 30, 2008
After a historic victory for birth control in the deadlocked January 24 vote on Senate Bill 3, author Sen. Jeff Drozda called the bill back to the senate floor on January 29. The legislation passed, 34-18, which is extremely unfortunate as it essentially grant pharmacists who "don't believe in birth control" the right to deny prescriptions or emergency contraception to Hoosier women.
With the addition of the passage of Senate Bills 146 and 187 through the Senate, the first of half of the legislative session seems to have lost sight of the stated goal of property tax relief. Planned Parenthood Advocates hopes that when these bills make their way to the House of Representatives, legislators realize that limiting access to contraception is a bad idea. We should instead be working on preventing unwanted pregnancies through increased sex education and birth control, as proposed in the Prevention First Legislation.
If you are fed up with legislation like what the Senate passed on January 29, you can help defeat it. Become an Advocates member today to help us fight anti-prevention legislation and legislators.
You can also help as a Capitol Activist during committee meetings in the upcoming weeks. We have been a strong presence at the statehouse due to the work of Capitol Activists during the first half of the session, but we must continue to act. Passing the Prevention First Legislation is STILL the best answer to limiting the number of unintended pregnancies that take place in Indiana.
Historic vote for birth control in the Indiana Senate!
January 28, 2008
On January 24, Senate Bill 3, which would have granted pharmacists the right to deny birth control prescriptions to Hoosier women, failed to advance out of the Senate with a tie vote of 24-24.
The vote comes as a bit of a surprise, since it was only two days earlier that an amendment to protect birth control access was defeated 22-26. But more Indiana Senators than ever are recognizing that birth control is basic health care for women.
We have become a strong presence at the statehouse this session, thanks to the work and dedication of our Action Network members and Capitol Activists. As mentioned earlier, the Capitol Activists are acting as statehouse watchdogs, attending key committee hearings at the capitol. These volunteers wear their PREVENTION NOW t-shirts as a constant reminder to the committee members that we are here, we have a voice and we believe that passing the Prevention First legislation is the best answer to limiting the number of unintended pregnancies that take place in Indiana.
If you are interested in being a Capitol Activist and putting legislators on notice that we need to be working on Prevention First, please email usASAP!
Senate Rules allow SB 3's author three days to re-call the bill for another vote if he thinks he has won over the two votes necessary to pass the bill. That means SB 3 could yet advance out of the Senate by 1/30/08. To get the latest on the legislative session, sign up for email alerts via the Planned Parenthood Action Network.
Capitol Activists needed!
January 4, 2008
Happy New Year from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana! The Indiana state legislative session starts on January 8, and we need your help with a new project. Rather than having a big statehouse rally like we did last February, this year, we want small groups of supporters to attend key committee hearings each week over the course of the legislative session. These Capitol Activists will wear the PREVENTION NOW t-shirts and stickers we printed for the rally and serve committee members a constant, steady reminder that Hoosiers want to see Prevention First legislation passed.
Even if the key committees don't hear any reproductive rights bills on a given day, it would still be important for us to be there calling for Prevention First. But a pharmacy refusal clause, Senate Bill 3, has been scheduled for the session's first meeting of the Health and Provider Services committee on Wednesday, January 9, in the Senate Chambers at 9am.
We need to be there to let committee members know they should instead be working on Prevention First! If you can make it on January 9, or want to be a Capitol Activist later in the session, please email us ASAP. Planned Parenthood Advocates staff will meet you at the statehouse to direct you, supply you with a t-shirt and materials, and answer your questions.
Sadly, the U.S. Congress did not fix the birth control pricing problem in 2007. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and our national colleagues will continue to work for a solution to soaring birth control prices in 2008.
There was some bright news from the budget passed and signed by the President in last days of 2007: the new budget provides the largest increase in Title X family planning funding since 2000, a $16.8 million increase from the previous year. The final budget for Title X, the nation’s family planning program, will be $299.9 million dollars this year, and provide millions of women and families access to family planning and prevention services.
In addition, the final budget bill allocated no additional funds for dangerous abstinence-only programs that deny teens information about how to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS. This is positive news for America’s teens, as federal funding should be directed toward comprehensive sex education programs that will keep teens healthy — by including information about abstinence as well as contraception, healthy communication, responsible decision making, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections.
Join us for the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and the Bloomington Community Advisory Board invite you to celebrate a legacy of reproductive freedom and embark on future reproductive justice activity.
Friday, January 18, 2008
5:30-8 p.m.
The Lodge
101 East 6th Street
Bloomington, IN
(map)
Join us to greet friends old and new, learn how to change Indiana's political and legislative landscape, and commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.
Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served. RSVP today! Download the invitation (PDF) to share with your friends!
Indiana Senate passes triple threat to women's health
Even if the key committees don't hear any reproductive rights bills on a given day, it would still be important for us to be there calling for Prevention First. But a pharmacy refusal clause, 
