About McHenry County Citizens for Choice

McHenry County Citizens for Choice (MCCC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to education about women`s reproductive rights. We believe that every woman has the fundamental right to decide for herself, free from governmental interference, whether or not to have an abortion. We promote that right and also work to safeguard access to birth control for all women. It is our firm conviction that all women`s rights - as well as each woman`s ability to participate in society as an equal - are based on reproductive autonomy.

MCCC was founded in 1990 and incorporated in 1993. Our primary educational outreach has been through our newsletter. As the recipient of a grant from the Pro Choice Resource Center in March 1999, we have been able to increase the frequency of publication to monthly.

The Executive Board of MCCC actively gathers information by networking with other pro-choice organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Women`s Leadership Council, American Association of University Women, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Catholics for a Free Choice, and the Chicago Foundation for Women.

The organization provides a pro-choice presence in McHenry County through various activities and events. MCCC recently hosted several focus groups for The Center for Excellence in Women`s Health at University of Illinois at Chicago, for the purpose of improving awareness and prevention of STDs and HIV among women. MCCC activists speak in high schools and other forums as part of our educational efforts. The organization encourages others to become vocal in their support of women`s reproductive rights. In celebration of Women`s History Month (March) 1999 we hosted a champagne brunch featuring WGN`s Kathy O`Malley as the speaker.

Today, more than ever, American families do not want the government to trample on their right to privacy by mandating how they must decide on the most intimate personal matters. They may differ on what circumstances for terminating a crisis pregnancy are consistent with their own personal moral views; however, on the fundamental question of who should make this personal decision, the majority of Americans agree that each woman must have the right to make this private choice for herself.