5 Things To Do This Week to Resist from the IL-9

Boots on the Ground

On Saturday, July 29, from 1-3 p.m., the Chicago rally of the nationwide #SavetheACA demonstration will take place downton. The rally aims to show the continued broad support for the Affordable Care Act, even as Senate Republicans aim to repeal the healthcare law without agreement on a replacement. Grab your friends and family and join the demonstration.

State Your Case

Earlier this year, the Illinois legislature passed House Bill 1785, which reforms the Vital Records Act to allow transgender Illinoisans to modify their birth certificates to reflect their gender identity without requiring proof of gender reassignment surgery. The bill has been sitting on the governor’s desk awaiting his signature. Use this ACLU of Illinois interface to send a message to Governor Rauner insisting he sign the bill into law to recognize and protect the rights of all Illinois residents.

The teen pregnancy rate in the United States is at an all-time low, thanks in no small part to federal funding that has been put toward teen pregnancy prevention over the past few years. Now Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price is calling to eliminate this funding a full two years ahead of schedule—in effect stopping current strategies right when they are being most effective. Write to Secretary Price (Secretary@HHS.gov) to say that his decision adversely impacts the lives and futures of girls in particular, and demand that funding be restored so we may fully understand and continue to decrease incidents of teenage pregnancy.

Get Trained

Have you ever considered running for public office? Even if the idea is the merest twinkling in the back of your mind, plan to attend this webinar from Run to Win on Monday, July 31, from 6-7:30 p.m. The webinar will guide anyone interested in running for office through the ins and outs of doing so. While the webinar is open to anyone who is interested, it will focus specifically on women running for office.

Raise Your Consciousness

Earlier this month, a Cook County judge issued an order stating that a defendant’s bail cannot be set at a level higher than what they can currently afford to pay. Read up on this victory for bail reform, which means that poorer people accused of crimes will not be disproportionately forced to remain in jail simply because of the amount in their bank account.