Planned Parenthood of Illinois Says Trust Women to Make the Best Decisions for their Families

Chicago, IL - Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) has teamed up with Black Women for Reproductive Justice (BWRJ), the ACLU, Black female leaders in academia, the faith-based community, and other reproductive and sexual justice advocates to demand Alveda King – niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – to stop using a scare campaign to attack women’s reproductive and sexual autonomy.

Alveda King has allied with anti-choice leaders and is using her uncle’s legacy to further her position in the anti-abortion movement to the detriment of the health and well-being of women.

“I am disappointed at Alveda King’s attacks on women’s reproductive self-determination. The scare campaign Alveda King and her followers are running to keep women from seeking reproductive health care is harmful to women in every community who need quality, affordable health care.” said Carole Brite, President and CEO of PPIL. “Unlike Alveda King, Planned Parenthood trusts women to make private, personal medical decisions based on what she understands to be best for herself and her family.”

Planned Parenthood of Illinois helps all individuals make informed decisions about their reproductive health care, regardless of gender, race, economic status, religion, or sexual orientation. PPIL's 17 health centers throughout the state deliver vital health care services, sex education, and sexual health information to more than 60,000 women and families each year.

Over 90% of the health services provided by PPIL are preventive, including life saving cancer screenings, gynecological exams, clinical breast exams, contraceptive services, sexually transmitted infection prevention and treatment, HIV testing and counseling, male reproductive health services, and much more.

“Planned Parenthood of Illinois believes that every person must have access to high-quality, affordable, and confidential health care,” said Brite. “Ensuring such access is a critical step toward eliminating the health care disparities among racial and ethnic groups and the poor health that so many in our community experience.”

African-American women are disproportionately affected by the current health care system which involves multiple barriers to accessing quality health care. This results in higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy, and abortion.

Planned Parenthood works every day with African-American women to improve the quality of their health care and to help protect themselves and their families through education, preventive care, birth control, and lifesaving screenings for major health problems like breast and cervical cancer.