Lessons From Illinois

Today I have a post up at RH Reality Check about some pro-active, pro-choice legislation that was proposed in Illinois. The legislation never made it to a vote, but perhaps what's most important is what the coalition learned from advocating for it:

Early members of the coalition, which has been spearheaded by Planned Parenthood Illinois and Illinois ACLU, began their work with meetings in Chicago and Springfield in the fall of 2007, where they debated what the legislation should cover, how it should be phrased, and how to get it passed. Following the 2008 election, they conducted focus groups and polls into early January. "It was that broad-ranging access that got early polling in the 60-70 percent across the board," said Lorie Chaiten, director of the ACLU's Reproductive Rights Project in Illinois. "It was really the whole continuum of choices that people supported very strongly."

Go ahead and read the whole thing.