Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Renee Wsol: From Planned Parenthood patient to advocate
by David Thill
2017-04-19

This article shared 870 times since Wed Apr 19, 2017
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


It's uncertain what the future holds for Planned Parenthood, but Renee Wsol isn't waiting to find out.

A single mother and a Medicaid beneficiary since 2012, Wsol, 34, of unincorporated Central Stickney in Stickney Township, feared the Trump administration and the Republican-led Congress might cut Planned Parenthood's Medicaid funding.

So, on Inauguration Day, she made an appointment to visit the organization's Orland Park clinic.

"Planned Parenthood offered me the flexibility I needed," she told Windy City Times. "I can go to any [Planned Parenthood clinic] I want….That's invaluable to me as someone who has to travel all over the city for my son's therapies." ( Wsol's four-year-old son has special needs. )

Since that February visit, Wsol has lobbied six U.S. representatives in Washington D.C. and traveled to Springfield to push for the passage of reproductive rights legislation at the state level. At press time, she was organizing a rally outside the office of her own U.S. representative, Dan Lipinski of Illinois' Third District—who received a 22 percent rating ( out of 100 ) on Planned Parenthood's 2017 Congressional Scorecard—in the hopes of convincing him to improve that score.

But she didn't anticipate doing all that when she made her appointment on Inauguration Day.

( In response to a request for comment, Lipinski wrote in part, in an email to Windy City Times, "I have and am willing to meet with any individual or group to talk about any matter related to the federal government….I encourage all of my constituents to continue reaching out to me about issues that are important to them." The congressman's full comments, including those regarding Planned Parenthood and LGBT issues, can be found below. )

From central Stickney to Washington, D.C.

Talking to the nurse during her initial visit to Planned Parenthood, Wsol expressed her fear that under the new administration, she and others like her would lose access to health care provisions like birth control. "I was just going on and on and on and on," she said. The nurse provided Wsol with contact information for Julie Lynn, manager of external affairs for Planned Parenthood's Illinois branch, who wanted to hear from patients like Wsol. Unsure of what to expect, Wsol reached out.

"I told [Lynn] I feel powerless," said Wsol. "All these terrible things are going to happen, and I think people don't think that they will. But they are [happening], and they're going to continue."

After hearing Wsol's story, Lynn invited her to a "lobby day" in Washington D.C. So, on March 1, Wsol, along with about 150 Planned Parenthood advocates and care providers from across the country, traveled to Washington—her first time in the nation's capital—and told her story to lawmakers.

Though she was nervous at first, Wsol soon found her footing, realizing that it was important to be direct in making her case.

"You can't afford to be shy" when talking to legislators, she said. And for anyone who is nervous before they start, "you're not going to be after you do it." She stays polite in her meetings with lawmakers, but she also keeps in mind one fact: "These people work for me, and they work for the other constituents in their district."

Constituents often feel like their voices don't matter, Wsol said. "But they do." She pointed out that many moderate Republican representatives refused to vote for repeal of the Affordable Care Act because of the pressure they felt from constituents. "We need to put the pressure on," she said.

But where should that pressure fall?

The push for HB40

"When we talk about 'defunding' Planned Parenthood, that means taking away Medicaid reimbursements" for the organization, Lynn, the Planned Parenthood of Illinois manager of external affairs, wrote in an email to Windy City Times. Over one-third of Planned Parenthood's 60,000 Illinois patients rely on Medicaid coverage, she said. That includes patients like Wsol.

Though the organization could potentially find itself in the crosshairs of April budget appropriation talks, multiple studies indicate that a large majority of Americans support continued Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. ( And as Lynn pointed out, Planned Parenthood provides more than just abortion services. )

Republican legislators, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, reportedly want to avoid the issue in budget talks, since that debate could lead to the kind of government shutdown the Republican-led government wants to avoid. But Planned Parenthood could then be targeted in an upcoming tax overhaul, which, as part of the Senate reconciliation process, would only need 51 votes in that chamber—and, therefore, no Democratic support—to become law.

But while uncertainty reigns at the national level, Wsol and others have taken their cause to the state capital.

During Wsol's trip to Springfield, organized by Illinois Women Moving Forward, she brought to lawmakers' attention HB40, originally introduced by Illinois Representative Sara Feigenholtz of the 12th district. The bill, which was approved by committee in February and is now up for a full House vote, removes language from the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975 that proponents argue would criminalize abortion in Illinois should the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision be overturned.

"I really hope it goes through, but I'm not sure if it will," Wsol said of HB40. To help it get passed, she hopes voters lobby their lawmakers on behalf of the bill. And "if you can't get out there [in person], then make phone calls," she said.

"It's not scary; it's not intimidating. Nobody's going to yell at you," she said. She emphasized that legislators don't expect constituents to be experts on the law. And if voters do face questions they can't answer, resources are available to help them find those answers, including organizational policy experts. ( At Planned Parenthood of Illinois, that person is Brigid Leahy, director of legislation. )

"This is all we can do," said Wsol. "We have this, and we have 2018," she added, referring to the congressional midterm elections. Voters' action now, she said, "paves the road" for what happens then.

Comments from Daniel Lipinski, Democratic representative of Illinois' Third U.S. district

In response to a request for comment from Windy City Times, Daniel Lipinski, U.S. representative of Illinois' third congressional district, wrote the following in an email:

"I have and am willing to meet with any individual or group to talk about any matter related to the federal government. Regarding Planned Parenthood specifically, it was the focus of much of my well-attended Town Hall earlier this year and I recently met with several smaller groups of PP supporters at my offices in the district. In addition, I had a good meeting with Equality Illinois just a few days ago, and I will continue to talk with them and others about how we can work together on issues important to the LGBTQ community.

"My constituents know that I'm very accessible to them and am always interested in hearing their thoughts and views. I represent 812,000 people and not everyone is going to agree with every vote I cast. Sometimes people believe that if I don't vote the way they would like me to vote on a particulate ( sic ) issue that I am not hearing their voice. That is not the case. I encourage all of my constituents to continue reaching out to me about issues that are important to them."


This article shared 870 times since Wed Apr 19, 2017
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course
2024-03-18
Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

UK health service to stop routinely prescribing puberty blockers to minors
2024-03-14
NHS (National Health Service) England confirmed that children will no longer routinely be prescribed puberty blockers at gender-identity clinics, the BBC reported. The decision came after a review found there was "not enough evidence" that they ...


Gay News

One Roof Chicago launches youth-focused workforce development program
2024-03-14
One Roof Chicago (ORC) is set to launch its first training, education and job placement program for LGBTQ+ young adults in late spring. This Community Health Workers and Elder Care program is a part of ORC's ...


Gay News

Howard Brown experts discuss advocacy and allyship for Chicago's trans community
2024-03-14
By Alec Karam - Howard Brown Health's Trans & Gender Diverse People's Rights & Patient Care panel convened March 12 to discuss both resources for—and opportunities to provide allyship to—the city's trans and gender diverse communities. The event hos ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health faces October trial if settlement isn't reached with union
2024-03-13
Howard Brown Health could go to trial over unfair labor practice allegations if the LGBTQ+ health center doesn't reach a settlement with its agreement soon. Chicago's regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood
2024-03-13
LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77
2024-03-12
On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner
2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


Gay News

Florida settles 'Don't Say Gay' lawsuit
2024-03-11
On March 11, the state of Florida settled a multi-year lawsuit against the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which limits how LGBTQ+ topics can be discussed and presented in schools, The Hill reported. The settlement agreement ...


Gay News

Pro-choice activists protest crisis pregnancy center on International Women's Day
2024-03-11
The rainy weather on March 8 didn't deter a passionate group of pro-choice protesters from gathering in Old Town on International Women's Day. Following the opening of Women's Care Center—a crisis pregnancy center—directly next to Pl ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Precious Brady-Davis says climate change is top issue as she runs to finish appointed MWRD term
2024-03-08
Precious Brady-Davis, commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), is one of several candidates running to fill three seats on the board in the March 19 election. Brady-Davis was appointed to the role last summer ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 MWRD's Marcelino Garcia discusses flooding, land use and LGBTQ+ inclusion
2024-03-08
Marcelina Garcia, commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), is one of several candidates in the running to fill three seats on the board in the March 19 election. Garcia, who chair's the MWRD's Finance ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Altercation, mpox research, Univ. of Fla., George Santos, tech battle
2024-03-08
Video footage uploaded to Facebook showed an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders, the Washington Blade reported, republishing an article from Philadelphia Gay News. Celena ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.