Sign our petition here: http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/hb2290/.

What would you do if you were a person with a disability, and your legal guardian decided to have a doctor operate on you so you couldn’t have babies?  What would you do if your guardian didn’t even tell you about this, or tricked you into doing it?  This is called involuntary sterilization, and in Illinois it happens more often than you think.  Involuntary sterilization is when your guardian and your doctor agree to tie your tubes or do a hysterectomy/vasectomy without your permission or knowledge.  We are one of 16 states nationwide with no laws to protect people with disabilities who have guardians from sterilization.

Now we have a chance to change that.  Today, there is a bill in the Illinois House of Representatives called H.B. 2290.  This bill would update a law called the Probate Act of 1975.  H.B. 2290 would add to the Probate Act by saying that a guardian would need to get a court order to have a doctor do a sterilization on a ward with a disability.  The exception would be if you might die or be seriously harmed without it.  Otherwise, a court would have to say that sterilization is ok, and the court would have to do their best to figure out whether the person with a disability is ok with it or not.  Right now, we do not have that kind of protection at all. 

H.B. 2290 is an important bill that protects the bodies of people with disabilities who have guardians.

Remember, not every person with a disability has a guardian.  Most people with disabilities make decisions about their own lives.  A guardian makes decisions for a person with a disability who needs help with decisions.  A person with a disability who has a guardian still can often make their opinions known, and it is important to respect that opinion. 

So what can you do to help? We need this bill to pass the Illinois House of Representatives NOW!  If you live in Illinois, contact your state representative and ask them to sponsor H.B. 2290 TODAY!  You can find out who your representative is at the Board of Elections webpage.  If you are with an organization, have your organization join our list to support H.B. 2290!  Let’s make this happen today!  Check back at this page for updates.

Organizations Supporting H.B. 2290:

American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois 
Chicago Foundation for Women
Equip for Equality
FRIDA
Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living (INCIL)
Katie Watson JD, Assistant Professor, Medical Humanities & Bioethics Program, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

For more information, or to sign onto our list of organizations supporting H.B. 2290, contact FRIDA member Michelle Robbins at (915) 496-5468 or free_our_people@yahoo.com. To read the bill, go to the bill online. 

This spring, FRIDA is working to plan a Town Hall Meeting on positive body image.  Low self-esteem, poor media portrayals and negative body image is a huge problem for women and girls with disabilities, so we want to tackle the problem FRIDA-style with a day-long event!  We need help planning and organizing this event, so if you are interested, please contact Monica Heffner at (312) 404-6021.

Women with disabilities are often denied complete health care because we do not have access to the same kinds of facilities and procedures that other women have. The Open Wide Campaign in Chicago strives to identify and eliminate barriers in the health care system.

We want accessible gynecological exam tables, large print and Braille information and ASL interpreters in exam rooms. Access to health care is a problem not just in Chicago, but everywhere.

For example, Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago just built an all new facility…but is it truly for every woman? Check out hospitals in your area to see whether they are accessible.

The campaign name “Open Wide” is not just about opening up access…it’s what you have to do when your gynecologist wants to inspect your privates.

For more information or to join the Open Wide Committee, contact Mary at 312-640-2118 or mdelgado@accessliving.org