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Youth News!
Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health's e-newsletter
April 30, 2009
Dear friend,
We’ve moved! We are pleased to announce that ICAH has moved to a new location as of March 2009. We are now located at 226 South Wabash Avenue, Suite 900, in Chicago. Our move to a new office is an exciting step forward in fostering our tremendous growth and supporting our efforts to promote a positive approach to adolescent sexual health and comprehensive support for pregnant and parenting youth.
Help us warm up our new space! You are cordially invited to join us for an Open House on Thursday, May 14, from 5:30-7:30 pm at -- you guessed it -- our new office! Please join us for an evening of celebration, plenty of food and drinks, and an opportunity to build with ICAH staff, youth leaders, board members, and other collaborators. Our office is on the 9th floor and is fully accessible. Please RSVP by Tuesday, May 5.
Thank you so much for your continuous support; our move would not have been possible without you! We look forward to seeing you at the Open House!
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| NEWS |
FDA Approves Plan B for 17-Year-Olds
ICAH applauds the FDA for its recent decision to allow 17-year-olds to access Plan B, the emergency contraceptive pill, without a prescription. More young women and men will now be able to obtain Plan B from most pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals after showing proof of age. The postcoital drug can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hour of sexual intercourse. The earlier the pill is taken, the more effective it is at preventing unintended pregnancy. The decision follows a ruling last month, made by Judge Edward R. Korman of Federal District Court in New York, who declared that the FDA’s previous decision in 2006 to limit access to those 18 and older was driven by politics, not science. Read more.
Reproductive Health and Access Act Does Not Advance
As a member of the Campaign for Reproductive Health and Access, ICAH has been working over the last several months to garner constituent and legislative support for the Reproductive Health and Access Act (HB 2354). This comprehensive bill would:
- Bar the government from interfering with anyone’s ability to use birth control, carry a pregnancy to term, or terminate a pregnancy.
- Require all Illinois public schools to teach medically-accurate, age-appropriate, comprehensive sexual health education, while still allowing parents the option to remove their child from classes if they don’t want them to participate.
- Ensure that government-funded health care programs, like Medicaid, cover basic reproductive health care services – including family planning, pre-natal care, and pap tests – as they do for other health care services.
On Wednesday, March 11, RHAA passed out of the House Human Services Committee. The bill, unfortunately, was not called for a vote on April 3 due to lack of support in the House. The campaign will continue working on public education and advocacy on the bill from now until the 2010 legislative session. For more information about the bill and the campaign:
State Profile Published on Sexuality Education in Illinois
Our national partners at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States recently released the sixth edition of their State Profiles for Fiscal Year 2008. The profiles represent the most complete portrait ever assembled of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and their intersection with sexuality education programs. The publications are intended to serve as a guide and major resource for advocates, policymakers, and other interested parties. The Illinois profile includes information on sexuality education law and policy, recent state legislation, abstinence-only funding and grantees, and organizations that support and oppose comprehensive education. Read the Illinois State Profile.
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| EVENTS |
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Register for the Illinois School Health Center Conference
Co-sponsored by ICAH and the Illinois Coalition for School Health Centers, the 7th annual Illinois School Health Center Conference will be held May 7-8 at the I Hotel in Champaign. The conference will promote a positive approach to sexual health with the understanding that school health centers offer one of the best environments for implementing meaningful change. View the conference brochure and register online today!
Apply Now for Action Out Loud! and the Illinois Youth Policy Council
A weeklong youth advocacy training camp in downtown Chicago, Action Out Loud! is designed for youth ages 14-20. Participants receive in-depth trainings in sexual and reproductive health, young parent, and social justice issues. In addition, they participate in skill-building workshops on organizing, message development, public speaking, youth-adult partnerships, power dynamics, media relations, and more. With help from experienced adults and youth leaders, participants use what they’ve learned to develop their own plans for action. Click here for an application. Please email Sunyata for more information. Deadline to apply is Friday, May 15.
The Illinois Youth Policy Council works statewide to develop and implement grassroots strategies to gain constituent and legislative support for responsible sexual health education. Members organize, advocate, and lobby for policy reform by creating and facilitating peer-to-peer networks, trainings, and actions. Council members receive a $100 stipend per month and the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC, Springfield, IL, and additional cities for conferences and trainings. Youth ages 15-20 from throughout Illinois are encouraged to apply. Please email Rae to receive an application. Deadline to apply is Friday, May 29.
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| ACTION |
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Stop Federal Abstinence-Only Program Funding
Illinois receives more than $10 million each year from the federal government for abstinence-only programs. Yet numerous studies have found such programs to be inaccurate, ineffective, and incomplete in educating our youth on crucial sexual health issues. Tell your legislators to reject this money and start funding responsible sexual health education!
Join the Chicago Female Condom Campaign
Find out how you can help increase Chicagoans’ access the only receptive, partner-initiated HIV and STD prevention tool available! The Chicago Female Condom Campaign is a broad-based effort to improve the availability, access, and utilization of the new female condom, FC2, in the city of Chicago for the women and men who need them most. Come to the next campaign meeting, Friday, June 5, from 9:00-11:00 am at the ICAH office. Please email Jessica to RSVP. Read more about the new female condom.
Support ICAH by Ordering from Pockets
The food chain Pockets is helping to raise money for our organization! When you place an order at www.pocketsonline.com and enter ‘ICAH’ in the coupon code box, you will receive 10% off your order AND Pockets will donate 10% of the sale back to ICAH. Please consider ordering through Pockets for your food purchases!
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The Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, in partnership with youth, advocates sound policies and practices that promote a positive approach to adolescent sexual health and parenting.
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Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health
226 S Wabash Ave, Suite 900
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 312.427.4460
Fax: 312.427.0757
www.icah.org
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