We wanted to share with you this story from today's Chicago Tribune exploring data being released today by the Guttmacher Institute of New York. The data indicates a significant drop in the number of abortions performed in Illinois last year. ACLU of Illinois Reproductive Rights Project Director Lorie Chaiten is featured in the story, noting that the U.S. rate of unintended pregnancy remains very high and decrying the lack of access to reproductive health care for many women in Illinois. One statistic not cited in the story is that about one-third of women in Illinois live in a county that offers no abortion services, forcing women in those counties to travel long distances to access care and services.

Wewould also like to invite you to hear Lorie speak about the state of reproductive choice in Illinois on Tuesday, January 22, 12 noon at the ACLU offices. I hope you will be able to join us. Please rsvp to Jesse Larson by tomorrow, Friday, January 18, jlarson@aclu-il.org if you plan to attend.