Rally for Abortion Rights on International Women's Day
2024-03-08 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Chicago) | 1212 North LaSalle Drive, 1212 North LaSalle Drive, Chicago, IL, 60610, United States
Lisa Battisfore of Reproductive Transparency Now writes: “Join Reproductive Transparency Now and Chicago for Abortion Rights at 5:30pm CT on Friday, March 8th, to rally and protest the anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center that recently opened at 1212 N. La Salle Drive, right next door to Planned Parenthood. Local residents and neighbors deserve to know the truth about the anti-abortion forces that are at work in their community!”
Date: Friday, March 8th
Time: Starts at 5:30pm CT
Place: Meet outside of 1212 N. La Salle Drive, in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago
For Event Updates: RSVP online or visit the Facebook event page
What to Bring: Your friends, favorite pro-abortion signs, and outside voices! Please keep your signs gender-inclusive.
The Women’s Care Center located in Old Town, Chicago, is just one of nearly 100 anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” in Illinois.
Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), also called “fake clinics,” are anti-abortion organizations that target pregnant people with deceptive and misleading information in order to prevent them from seeking abortion care. Anti-abortion CPCs frequently open near abortion clinics in order to confuse people seeking reproductive healthcare and create opportunities to misdirect patients away from their appointments. This practice is known as “clinic co-location.”

The 2024 ACLU Lunch: Fighting for a more perfect union
2024-03-01 11:00 - 13:30 | Chicago Hilton & Towers, 720 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60605, United States
Save the date and join us at the 2024 luncheon of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, featuring the famed Busy Philipps as keynote speaker.
Get your tickets here !
Please join the ACLU of Illinois for our annual Lunch on Friday, March 1, 2024 at 12:00 PM. The event will be held in person at the Hilton Chicago and a virtual livestream will also be available. Whether participants join us in person or virtually, everyone will be able to view the program in its entirety.
We are looking forward to gathering with members of the ACLU community from across Illinois to celebrate the work of the past year, recommit to the ongoing fight for civil rights and civil liberties, and raise funds critical to our work. We encourage you to purchase your tickets or commit to a sponsorship as soon as possible!

Maria Peterson's Town Hall on Reproductive Rights
2024-02-22 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Maria Peterson, Democratic candidate for State Representative in the 52nd district, including parts of McHenry County, writes:
Dear Friends and Supporters: With the overturning of Roe v Wade, reproductive rights remains a key concern for voters including in the 52nd IL State House District. With the district quickly moving away from the extremism of the Republican Party and the 100% anti-reproductive rights incumbent, it’s important to make sure the voters know where we both stand on the subject. I am proud to be endorsed by both Personal PAC and Planned Parenthood and it’s time to bring reasonable representation to the 52nd District.
Because this issue is key in this election, I am making reproductive rights the topic of my first Town Hall of 2024. Please consider joining me for a discussion on this very important topic:
Town Hall on Reproductive Rights – February 22nd, 2024 – 7:00 pm – 8:00 PM
Click here to register …
via Zoom so everyone is able to join. With special guest, Oren Jacobson, Men4Choice, Co-founder & Co-Executive Director

The Year Ahead in The Fight For Reproductive Justice
2024-01-30 18:00 - 20:00 | Grace Place & Hybrid, 637 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL, 60605, United States
On Tuesday, January 30th, Chicago for Abortion Rights will be hosting The Year Ahead In The Fight For Reproductive Justice, a roundtable discussion on the many aspects of the ongoing fight for bodily autonomy. Local reproductive and social justice organizations will have materials, books, and swag; come learn about ways you can get involved!
Click here to register.
The fascinating lineup of speakers includes:

Jeanine Valrie Logan, Chicago South Side Birth Center
Tayo Mbande, Chicago Birthworks Collective
Lisa Battisfore, Reproductive Transparency Now
Mary Bowman, abortion and trans healthcare provider
Alicia Hurtado, Chicago Abortion Fund

Topics will innclude the right’s assault on medication abortion, the fight for birth justice and addressing racial disparities in reproductive healthcare, how to fight the increased criminalization of abortion and pregnancy outcomes, and the rise of Crisis Pregnancy Centers and the recent news that the Attorney-General of Illinois is backing down from enforcing passed legislation to hold crisis pregnancy centers accountable for their deceptive practices.
You can attend either in person at Grace Place, 637 South Dearborn Street, in downtown Chicago, or watch the livestream. Doors open at 5:30 pm, and the programm starts at 6:00. Registration is required — here’s the link. Note also that masks are required if you’re attending in person — all of us are too important to get sick!

Protecting Transgender Rights - A Townhall sponsored by the AHA
2024-01-22 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
Please join the American Humanist Association for a nationwide online Town Hall on Protecting Transgender Rights.
This sure-to-be-fascinating event will feature Sarah Ray, transgender activist and Trek podcaster; Alison Gill, American Atheist Legal and Policy Vice President; and Kris Tassone, Policy Counsel for the National Center for Transgender Equality,
It’s on Monday, January 22nd, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm Central time.
Please click here for more information and to register.
Issues impacting the transgender community have become a flashpoint in the 2024 election, with far right candidates campaigning and endorsing policies that are against gender-affirming care, the right of transgender folks to participate in sports, comprehensive education that’s inclusive of gender identity and sexuality, access to abortion for trans* and non-binary folks, and much more.
According to the ACLU, 506 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in state legislatures in 2023 as of November. At an alarming rate, the House of Representatives is introducing bills harmful and dangerous to the transgender community, such as the Labor, Health, Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for FY 2024. Section 534 of this bill will prohibit gender-affirming surgical procedures and hormone therapies, which would result in extensive damage if passed.
Please click here for more information and to register.

Bigger Than Roe 2024 - Protest the Crystal Lake CPC
2024-01-20 12:00 - 13:00 | 610 Crystal Point Road, 610 Crystal Point Road, Crystal Lake, IL, 60014, United States
On January 20th, days before the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, feminists all across the USA will be marching and protesting … to shore up our forces and take on the work ahead in the fight for reproductive freedom. Here in McHenry County, please join McHenry County NOW and McHenry County Citizens for Choice, as we protest near one of the many fake clinics (“crisis pregnancy centers”) that plague us.
Date and time: Noon to 1:00 pm on Saturday January 20th
Watch the livestream on Facebook or YouTube (and please share.)
Or join us in person at 610 Crystal Point Road, Crystal Lake
(by the emissions testing place, southeast of Main Street & NW Hwy (Rte 14)
(we’ll have signs, or bring your own)
Visit womensmarch.com, watch this great video, and get plugged into womensmarch.com here.
As Women’s March writes: “This January, we will unite to send an unequivocal message: Our resolve is unyielding. Our movement is not just about Roe; it is about safeguarding the rights and freedoms for all, now and for future generations. We are the majority, and our voices will be heard.
“On the weekend of January 19-21, 2024, we’ll be mobilizing in all 50 states with priority on the nine states where abortion rights will be directly on the ballot. These mobilizations are a strategic intervention to galvanize voters for the 2024 elections. We’re showing up to secure abortion access and counter far-right extremism. Join us in the state-by-state battle to defend our rights shape our future.”

Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
2024-01-10 17:30 - 19:30 | McHenry County College Luecht Auditorium, 8900 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake, IL, 60012, United States
Please join us for an evening of remembrance, reflection, and action as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It’s all happening at 5:30 pm on the evening of Wednesday, January 10th, 2024, in the Luecht Auditorium of McHenry County College. Park on the south side, there’s a door marked for the auditorium.
It’s free — please RSVP here !
Pastor Dr. Norval Brown, Master of Ceremonies
Doors open at 5:30 pm and documentary screening begins at 6:00 pm followed by an inspiring discussion.
Presented by McHenry County Juneteenth and McHenry County College.

Advancing Contraceptive Equity, sponsored by ICAN - Illinois Contraceptive Access Now
2023-11-13 14:00 - 15:30 | Cook County Professional Health Building, 1950 W. Polk Street 5th floor, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
Please join Illinois Contraceptive Access Now (ICAN!) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for Advancing Contraceptive Equity: Birth Control is Health Care, on Monday November 13th, 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm.
Click here to register for this in-person event.
Illinois is a leader in advancing progressive reproductive health policies and rights. While defending abortion access has rightly been our immediate priority following the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, we must also realize that access to patient-centered contraceptive care across the lifespan is fundamental to reproductive autonomy.
Please join policy makers, providers, payers, patients, and community partners to hear from HHS national leadership and key Illinois stakeholders including:
Keynote: Melanie Fontes Rainer, Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Michael Cabonargi, Regional Director, Region V, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Lizzy Whitehorn, incoming Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services
Israel Rocha Jr., CEO, Cook Country Health
Kimberly Knox-O’Shields, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Friend Health
Michelle Johnson, ICAN! Community Advisory Board Member
Stephanie Liou, MD, ICAN! Community Advisory Board Member
Kai Tao and Katie Thiede, co-founders, ICAN!
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn how they can support every Illinoisans’ right to high-quality contraceptive care, including by connecting 1.2 million newly eligible Illinoisans to expanded Medicaid for family planning and related services under the HFS Family Planning Program.
Click here to register for this in-person event.

CFW 38th annual gathering: Nevertheless We Persist
2023-10-31 09:00 - 11:30 | Sheraton Grand Riverwalk Chicago, 301 E. North Water St., Chicago, IL, 60611, United States
It’s the 38th annual gathering of the Chicago Foundation for Women, and one you won’t want to miss.
Click here for more info and to get your tickets !
CFW reports: “NEVERTHELESS, WE WILL PERSIST. We have ramped up our work because we believe that economic security, freedom from violence, and enhanced access to health services and information benefit all women and girls.
“NEVERTHELESS, WE WILL GIVE. In 2022, we awarded $3.4 million in responsive and strategic grants to 258 non-profits.”
Featuring keynote speaker Amanda Nguyen.
Amanda Nguyen is the founder of Rise, a 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, and a 2022 TIME Woman of the Year. Amanda’s 2021 viral video ignited a wave of collective action in the anti-Asian hate movement.
She made history by drafting and unanimously passing both the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights through the United States Congress and the Survivors’ Resolution through the United Nations General Assembly. Amanda’s directorial debut, Everything I Ever Wanted To Tell My Daughter About Men, won Best Feature at the 2022 Cannes Independent Film Festival.
She is the lead of the Emmy-nominated mini documentary Rise Above by Money Magazine. She servedthe White House, Department of State, and NASA, and is currently an Astronaut-Scientist Candidate at the Astronautical Science Institute. Amanda graduated from Harvard University.
For her work, Amanda has been named a Heinz Laureate, Forbes 30 Under 30, Foreign Policy 100, Frederick Douglass 100, TIME 100 Next, BBC 100, and Marie Claire Woman of the Year.

Stop the Lies: Protest the Fake Pregnancy Clinics
2023-10-28 10:00 - 12:00 | 420 North Front Street, 420 Front Street, McHenry, IL, 60050, United States
Here’s pictures from the event.
Here’s the News Release published on the day.
“Crisis pregnancy centers” – in other words, Fake Clinics – are all over the place. Their goal is to deceive vulnerable pregnant people seeking abortion, and mislead, harass and delay – anything to prevent you from getting the termination you need and want. Full details and a great deal of documentation can be found on the website of Reproductive Transparency Now (RTN), a vitally important and relatively new national organization.
Please join McHenry County Citizens for Choice, McHenry County NOW, Illinois NOW, Toby’s Fund for Reproductive Health Equity, and Reproductive Transparency Now for a peaceful protest against fake clinics right here in McHenry County.
It’s fr0m 10:00 am to noon on Saturday October 28th. Please come between 9:30 and 10, so we can have a crowd right at 10. Assemble in the parking lot at 420 North Front Street (on Route 31) in McHenry.
Please click here to RSVP so we’ll know you’re coming — but RSVP or not, please come. Every single one of us is important.
And here’s the event on Facebook — if you’re on Facebook, please click Going and share with your friends.

It's Time to Dance ! - featuring Lynne Belsky
2023-10-26 19:00 - 20:30 | Northbrook Public LIbrary, 1201 Cedar Lane, Northbrook, IL, 60062, United States
Please join North & NW Suburban Chicago NOW for a presentation by Lynne Belsky of “A Time To Dance.”
Join us at 7:00 pm on Thursday October 26th, in-person at the Northbrook Public Library, 1201 Cedar Lane, or via Zoom.
Please click here to register either way — and if you’re joining us in person, please also email us at nwsubilnow@gmail.com to let us know.
Here’s the event on Facebook.
“Time To Dance” (www.time-to-dance.org) is a non-profit organization based in Highland Park that encourages women over 50 to take dance lessons in a judgment-free environment. Through discussion and a demonstration by a troupe of six dancers, Lynne will explain how dancing at all ages has proven to increase energy, strength, balance, flexibility and more. There also will be a chance to practice some steps, so wear comfortable shoes and clothing.
This will be our chapter’s first in-person meeting since 2020, so we’re hoping you can join us at the Northbrook Library. Taking a dance class, whether it be ballet, tap, modern, fitness … allows you to be part of a caring, supportive community. And it’s so much fun!

CPC's: A Threat to Public Health & Reproductive Justice
2023-10-23 18:00 - 19:15 | Online
Please join McHenry County Citizens for Choice, McHenry County NOW, Ilinois NOW and Toby’s Fund for Reproductive Health Equity, for a special presentation by Lisa Battisfore, founder and president of Reproductive Transparency Now (RTN) focusing on Crisis Pregnancy Centers: A Threat to Public Health and Reproductive Justice.
It’s via Zoom on the evening of Monday, October 23rd, from 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm.
Please click here to register. Note: this is RTN’s registration site, and requires you to have a Zoom account. If you don’t already have your personal Zoom account, visit zoom.us to obtain one — it’s free and just takes a second.
There are more than 2,500 anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs) across the United States, yet most people know very little about them. In fact, many people visit them seeking medical information about abortion not realizing that they are supported and managed by anti-abortion extremist organizations.
Most CPCs are not licensed medical facilities and do not have on-site medical staff; yet, they are offering pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and in some cases, testing for select sexually transmitted infections (STIs). But can we trust these staunchly anti-abortion organizations to provide medically accurate information?
Please join McHenry County Citizens for Choice, McHenry County NOW, and Toby’s Fund for Reproductive Health Equity for this virtual information session hosted by Reproductive Transparency Now.
Please click here to register.
***IMPORTANT: For security reasons, you must register for this meeting using an email address that is associated with a Zoom account (including a free account). If you receive an error that says you are not an “authorized user,” that means you do not have a Zoom account associated with that email. You will be able to create a Zoom account for free.

Oct 17: Personal PAC's 30th Annual Awards Luncheon featuring Gretchen Whitmer
2023-10-17 12:00 - 14:00 | Chicago Hilton & Towers, 720 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60605, United States
If there’s one single reason why Illinois is a pro-choice state, it is Personal PAC. So you won’t want to miss their 30th Annual Awards Luncheon featuring the amazing Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan and Champion for Choice.
Get your tickets today !!!!
It’s all happening on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at the Chicago Hilton & Towers, 720 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago. If past experience is any guide, registration opens around 11, the program starts promptly at noon and will be done by 1:30.
It ain’t cheap — $250 per ticket — but as the saying goes, Freedom Is Never Free. It is vital that Illinois remain a pro-choice state, and that means Personal PAC must be extremely well funded. So get your tickets today, and we’ll see you there !

Evanston Pro-Choice Rally & March
2023-10-15 12:00 - 14:30 | Raymond Park, Lake St & Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Please save the date for the Evanston Pro-Choice Rally & March.
It’s at noon on Sunday October 15th at Raymond Park, in downtown Evanston, on the east side of Chicago Avenue between Lake Street on the south and Grove Street on the north. There’s street parking, and the Sherman Plaza Parking Garage is just a few blocks away.
There will be a rally with inspirational speakers and music, followed by a march through downtown Evanston.
More details coming soon …

M Triple C Adopt A Highway October event
2023-10-11 09:30 - 12:00 | IL
MCCC’s Adopt-a- Highway – 15th year!
Wednesday, October 11th, 2023
Please Join Us at 9:30
I hope everyone who has helped in the past can once again be on the best ‘road crew’ ever. It’s great exercise & fun. We are always done in 1 1/2 hrs. or less.
We are required to do 4 clean ups each year. April & October are mandatory months. We do a third one in July or August. We found it hasn’t been necessary to do 4 because we are so awesome.
Thank you!
Nancy Schwab
WEDNESDAY, October 11th
MCCC’s Adopt a Highway road clean-up
(we clean one mile on Walkup Rd. between Hillside and Pleasant Rds.)
Meeting place:
Prairie Ridge High School on Walkup Rd.
We park in the driveway entrance to the school.
We provide safety vests, pickers, bags, sunscreen.
Just bring a water bottle.
Please spread the word. Bring a friend.
THANK YOU !!
Please RSVP to info@mcccprochoice.org if you can join us.

Stop Fake Clinics: A Pro-Abortion Picket Line
2023-09-28 17:00 - 18:30 | 65 West Jackson Blvd, 65 West Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL, 60604, United States
A big coalition — including and especially Reproductive Transparency Now — has come together for a Pro-Abortion Picket Line in downtown Chicago on at 5:00 pm on Thursday September 28th, to protest an anti-abortion fundraiser being held at the Union League Club. Please RSVP on EventBrite and visit the Facebook event page.
That alone is reason enough to high-tail it down to the city, but even more important: the funder we’re protesting is for the network of “crisis pregnancy centers” besetting us. So come on down if you can. Bring your friends, your favorite pro-abortion signs, and your outside voices.
If you’re not able to make it for the event itself, you can still help! Spread the word by sharing these recent posts from Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X.

From the Event Facebook page:
STOP FAKE CLINICS: A Pro-Abortion Picket Line

Join us at 5:00pm on Thursday, September 28th, to picket an anti-abortion fundraiser being hosted at the Union League Club of Chicago. Specifically, this fundraiser benefits Aid for Women, a network of anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs, or “Fake Clinics”) in the Chicagoland area.

The Aid for Women located in downtown Chicago is just one of at least 97 “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs) in the state of Illinois. CPCs are anti-abortion organizations, usually 501(c)(3) faith-based nonprofits, that target pregnant people with deceptive and misleading information in order to prevent them from seeking abortion care. Many of these CPCs also use “non-diagnostic” and pseudo-medical services to trick people into thinking that they are unbiased healthcare providers.

This fundraiser was hosted at the same location on September 28th last year, which is surely not a coincidence. September 28th is International Safe Abortion Day, a global day of action where abortion activists and advocates around the world stand in solidarity to fight for reproductive healthcare, maternal health, and unhindered access to safe abortions.

If you are living in or visiting the Chicago area and believe in full bodily autonomy for all people, then we need you at this event! It is critical that we show the Union League Club of Chicago that they are supporting racist, sexist, anti-abortion bigotry by hosting this event every year.

The event’s co-sponsors include Chicago Abortion Fund, Chicago for Abortion Rights, Chicago National Organization for Women, Gay Liberation Network, Illinois Choice Action Team, Illinois National Organization for Women, Indivisible Evanston, Indivisible Illinois, Midwest Access Coalition, Reproductive Transparency Now, and Stop Trans Genocide – Chicago.

Sep 14: Fighting Forward: Freedom For Every Body
2023-09-14 18:30 - 20:30 | Morgan Manufacturing, 401 N. Morgan St, Chicago, IL, 60642, United States
Planned Parenthood Illinois Action and Planned Parenthood Illinois Action PAC present …
FIGHTING FORWARD — Freedom For Every Body
Honoring Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker with the Richard J. Phelan Profile in Courage Award and Precious Brady-Davis, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and author of I Have Always Been Me, with the TrailBlazer Award.
with co-chairs U.S. Congresspersons Nikki Budzinski, Delia Ramirez and Eric Sorenson.
Put on your party clothes, and don’t miss this glittering, star-studded event.
Info and tickets here.
