Lt. Gov. Simon coming to St. Charles

The American Civil Liberties Union dedicates an entire section of its website to the “War on Women.”

The organization lists any legislation “restricting contraception; cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood; state-mandated, medically unnecessary ultrasounds; abortion taxes, abortion waiting periods; forcing women to tell their employers they want birth control, and prohibiting insurance companies from including abortion coverage in their policies” as the attacks women currently face on their freedoms.

All those are possible topics when Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon visits St. Charles Thursday for a forum on women in government. The event is organized by several female members of the Kane County Democrats.

Nadia Daley is one of those organizers. She said the timing of the forum is partly because of the upcoming November elections. But the forum is more about women’s rights.

“It’s the result of the latest attack on women this year that has gone so far off the deep end that I think it’s time more women rise up and pay attention,” Daley said. “We can’t lose the rights that we have gained.”

Daley said she finds it disturbing that women comprise 52 percent of the population but only 17 percent of the members of Congress are women.

“That is really not acceptable,” Daley said. “Part of that is many women who are married are raising kids, but at the same time I believe that women should be more aware of politics and be engaged. If they are not more engaged, then others are going to make laws for them.”

Thursday’s event will also feature a screening of the 2004 film, “Iron Jawed Angels” starring Hilary Swank. The film is about the women’s suffrage movement. Simon is scheduled to speak before the film. Joining her will be former U.S. Senate candidate Cheryle Robinson Jackson.

The forum and the film screening are free and open to the public. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles.