ACTION ALERT: HB 40

There is Illinois specific legislation centered around women and reproductive rights going on RIGHT NOW in Springfield!! This legislation, HB 40, would protect women's access to safe and legal abortion in Illinois. Without getting too deep into the pro-life/pro-choice debate, evidence has shown that banning women's access to legal abortions does not decrease the number of abortions that take place-- rather, it increases the number of dangerous "back-alley" abortions. This is a fact that is true regardless of your own personal, moral, or religious beliefs on abortion.

So, if you live in Illinois, I am asking you to please take action in support of safe and legal abortions. How? CALL YOUR REPS.

I know what you're thinking: Can that really make a difference? What can one call really do to pass legislation? There's no way I can talk on the phone anyways...

But stop right there. I know national politics have always taken the main stage, but let me let you in on a little secret:

Local politics really matter. Like, REALLY matter. I know they are not quite as exciting as the national scene, but the truth is that it is not enough to vote just once every four years in the Presidential elections. If you really want to make a change, you should be starting at your local scene. These local decisions are what affect you and your neighbors' lives first and foremost. Not to mention that since local officials are responsible for smaller constituencies, they are easier to influence. Which is great news, because local politics have a "trickle-up" effect, in that they influence state policies which in turn influence federal policies. Local and state victories give hope and momentum to national political movements.

Yet very few people know who their local representatives are.

Now about my request for you to take the time to phone-in your support. Why on earth would I ask you to do that??

The democratic answer: your state reps are actually responsible for representing you.

The political answer: your state reps know they need the support of their voters to be re-elected in the next term.

The result: Whatever the numbers show voters are in favor of is likely the way that your representatives will vote. But they can't know what the people want if the people don't speak up.

Good thing is, the system is actually set up pretty easy. All you have to do is call your reps' office numbers, and leave a message with whoever answers the phone. You can read from a sample script, or you can do what I did and simply say "Hi, I'm calling to ask my representative to vote IN SUPPORT of HB 4!"

Most of the time, all they asked for was my name and my zip-code (probably to verify that I am an Illinois voter and to find out which constituencies support is coming from). And boom. My messaged was passed on, added to the number of tallies of Illinois voters in favor of HB 40.

HB 40 is scheduled to be heard by the Human Services Committee on February 8th at 3:00pm, so it is officially the final two days to express your support. Use this website to find out exactly who your representatives are, and give them a quick call! It seriously does not take long... I did mine on my walk to class this morning. Do it on your lunch break, while making dinner, taking the stairs to your next class, or during part of that time you usually spend on social media at night. Whenever it is, just do it.

You have the power here to really make a difference for women and families in Illinois and nationally.

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