Dear Carmen,

We can no longer trust the Supreme Court to protect our right to legal, safe abortion.  Wisconsin needs A Roe of Our Own so no matter what happens to Roe v. Wade at the federal level, Wisconsin women will be protected. Take Action: Sign the Roe of Our Own petition!

NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin released our 2007-2008 Legislative Scorecard today.  The scorecard lists how your elected officials voted on key choice legislation during the 2007-2008 legislative session.  Two of the landmark successes are:

Passage of the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill.
After a seven-year fight, we passed the first pro-choice legislation in a generation, the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims bill.  The law requires all Wisconsin hospital emergency rooms to provide rape victims with information about and access to emergency contraception.

Survival of the Birth Control Protection Act.
This bill, crucial to Wisconsin women’s access to birth control at the pharmacy counter, survived an amendment by Senator Kathleen Vinehout that would have gutted the bill. Passed by the Senate, the bill requires pharmacists to dispense birth control without delay when presented with a legal prescription.

Visit our websiteto see how your elected officials voted!


Yours for Choice,
NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin staff

In this issue:
Join the Letter to the Editor Team!
Abortion Rate Drops in Wisconsin
Executive Director Search
She Should Run
Pop Quiz, Hot Shot!

                                                                                                                                                                              

Join the Letter to the Editor Team!

Letters to the editor (LTE) of your local paper are a great way to show support for pro-choice issues and educate people about pro-choice positions. Elected officials read LTEs to determine where people in their district stand on issues. 

We are looking for volunteers across the state who are interested in joining our letter writing team.

Whenever we have an active campaign, we will send you a sample letter and information about how to submit the letter to your local newspapers.

Click here to join our letter writing team!

                                                                                                                                                                               

Abortion Rate Drops in Wisconsin

Recently, the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services announced that the number of abortions performed in Wisconsin dropped last year for the fourth year in a row.  The abortion rate declined from 9,580 in 2006 to 8,267 in 2007, the lowest recorded number since 1974.

Over the last couple of years, Wisconsin women have experienced greater access to methods to prevent unintended pregnancy and therefore reduce the need for abortion.

• Low-income women can apply for the Medicaid Family Planning Waiver which covers their family planning needs. 
• As of 2006, emergency contraception is available over the counter for women 18 and older. 
• Governor Doyle has rejected dangerous federal “abstinence-only” money.
• And now, with the passage of the Compassionate Care bill, rape victims will have greater opportunities to prevent pregnancy after an assault. These policy changes are part of our Prevention First Initiative.

Click here to learn more about NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin’s Prevention First initiative.

                                                                                                                                                                                

Executive Director Search

NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin & Foundation is searching for a new Executive Director! The Executive Director is responsible for the financial strength and overall health of the organization. This will include major fundraising, development and political lobbying efforts.

Click here for complete job description and application information.

                                                                                                                                                                               

She Should Run

Women's Campaign Forum (WCF) launched their second annual She Should Run campaign. She Should Run is a comprehensive effort to gather names of pro-choice women leaders who should run for public office. WCF is committed to offering these women the essential encouragement they deserve and providing them connections to key public life decision-making tools and campaign resources. 

Do you know a woman who gets things done? Research shows women are much more likely to run for office if someone asks them to.  Tell a woman she should run for office, share her story, and start her on a path to becoming the influential public office holder she was always meant to be.

                                                                                                                                                                                

Pop Quiz, Hot Shot!

Each month, we will include a pop quiz at the end of Pro-Choice Happenings! Email the correct answer, your name and address to popquiz@prochoicewisconsin.org. We will randomly select a winner out of the correct answer and that person will receive a prize!

In what year did the U.S. Supreme Court strike down a Connectiut law criminalizing the use of contraception?