League of Women Voters of Oak Park & River Forest Newsletter March 2024 Volume 11 Issue 8

Dear Friends,

Welcome to Women’s History Month 2024. The commemoration grew out of a 1978

celebration of women’s contributions to society organized by the Sonoma, California, school district. A few years later celebrations were held across the country, and in 1980 President Jimmy Carter declared March 2-8 Women's History Week. Six years later, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March.

Women have a proud history of fighting for human rights, beginning in 1776 when Abigail Adams chided her husband, John, to “not put unlimited power into the hands of husbands” through the 1848 Seneca Falls convention which laid the groundwork for passage of the 19th Amendment and up to the 1920 ratification giving women the right to vote. May we all be inspired by tenacious women such as Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Jane Adams, Ida B. Wells, Carrie Chapman Catt, Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, Delores Huerta, Katherine Goble Johnson, Bella Abzug, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Patsy Takemoto Mink. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.

The timeliest remembrance this month may be of Margaret Sanger, who opened the first US birth control clinic in 1916. Located in Brooklyn, her clinic was deemed illegal under the “Comstock Laws” forbidding birth control, and the clinic was raided on October 26, 1916. When she had to close two additional times due to legal threats, she closed the clinic and eventually founded the American Birth Control League in 1921—the precursor to today’s Planned Parenthood. Most of the country reacted with horror when Roe was reversed in 2022 and even more so when Alabama announced its IVF ruling this month. Law scholars fear that the widespread adoption of fetal personhood laws would have far-reaching policy implications, including criminalizing people who receive abortions and banning certain kinds of contraception. The dystopian implications of these rulings continue to be felt by people of all political stripes.

A quick thank-you call to Senator Tammy Duckworth D-IL (312-886-3506) is in order after she introduced IVF-affirming legislation in the Senate this week. It was shot down by Cindy Hyde-Smith R-MS, who claimed it would legalize commercial surrogacy including for young girls without parental consent, human cloning, and designer babies. May our outrage turn into action.

Please join us on March 16 for a Member Mix and Mingle to say hello and to learn about upcoming changes to LWV and opportunities to promote democracy. The adage that democracy will not save itself has never been truer than this year. See Don't Give Up: 9 Reasons Your Voice Matters More Than Ever - Americans of Conscience. And see below for more information on our Mix and Mingle.

In other March news, March 2- 9 is Chocolate Chip Cookie week, March 12 is the Girl Scouts birthday, everyone becomes a wee bit Irish on March 17, and Daylight Savings Time begins March 10 when once again, our car clocks will be correct. Celebrate responsibly!

Sláinte,

Jane

Challenges to public libraries and librarians are still continuing at a rapid pace. The West Virginia legislature is currently considering a bill that aims to remove protections for librarians in the event that minors encounter books containing what the state deems “obscene” material within library facilities. If enacted, The bill would erase criminal liability protections for public libraries, museums, and schools that display “obscene matter to a minor” when the child is not accompanied by a parent or guardian. If found guilty, they could be sentenced to up to five years in a correctional facility.

To give us firsthand information, we will have a panel of three library leaders who will speak to us about the challenges that they are facing. Jack Bower is Executive Director of the Broadview Public Library District. Emily Compton is Library Director of the River Forest Public Library. Amy Crumb is the Library Director of the Bellwood Public Library. Please join LWV OPRF for a discussion on how public libraries have become battle grounds in our nation’s culture wars on Tuesday, March 12, from 9:30-11:00am at the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park. This event is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome. Bring a friend!

On Saturday, March 19, all current and prospective members are invited to a luncheon at Brookdale Senior Living Facility, 1111 Ontario, Oak Park. We will start welcoming participants at 11:30am to the top floor of Brookdale, where we can socialize with one another while enjoying the spectacular views from the top floor dining room. This is a great event to invite prospective members to learn about our League. Please RSVP your attendance and any guests you will bring here so we have enough food for everyone.

SB 3499, which was introduced in the Illinois legislature in February, would create the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act in Illinois. The bill was sponsored by Senator Linda Holmes. Under the bill, a qualified terminally ill patient could ask a physician to prescribe them “aid-in-dying medication that will allow a terminally ill patient to end the patient’s life in a peaceful manner." Ten states currently have approved medically assisted dying. Fifteen other states are currently considering similar legislation. If passed, Illinois would become the 11th "right to die" state in

the U.S. The 10 states with right to die legislation are California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C.

LWV OPRF invites you to our March 21 Drinks & Dialogue presentation by Catherine Marienau, Ph.D., a part of the local medical aid in the dying movement. In this interactive session, we will consider the importance of planning for end-of-

life and explore options for persons with terminal illnesses. The presentation will be at

Friendly's Tap, 6731 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn, starting at 6:30pm. There will be

snacks, a cash bar, and engaging conversations. All are welcome. Bring a friend! Live music will follow the presentation.

On Friday, February 16, Marsha Borders and Peggy Kell attended the Service Learning Faire at OPRF HS. Representing the League, they talked to students from the school's Civics Classes about voter registration, becoming deputy registrars, and the importance of being an informed voter. Ten students signed up to take the training to become deputy registrars so they can be proactive and register their peers. Over 20 different local organizations had tables where the students could find out what volunteer opportunities are available for them. You can see some photos and read about the event on the high school's Facebook page here.

On our weekly emails and website, you can now connect to our Instagram and Facebook pages by clicking on the icons at the bottom of these communiques. This will take you to these platforms to learn more about what is happening at LWV OPRF.