Supports woman's right to choose

I am writing in support of HB 6205, the Reproductive Health and Access Act. This act would protect the right of Illinois women to health care choices throughout their reproductive lifetimes, from honest, comprehensive sex education to access to quality birth control, prenatal care, and the right to choose abortion.

It would guarantee Illinois women the ability to use or refuse contraception and ensure that they are able to make their own personal decisions about when and whether to have a child, and to control their own reproductive health care decisions.

Passage of HB 6205 is imperative because there are always proposed pieces of legislation harmful to women's reproductive rights, and there are many legislators who wish to wrest control of women's individual rights from them and to dictate as to which types of health care women are entitled.

We must ensure that government will not interfere with women's personal decision-making and allow us to base our decisions on our own personal values and our doctors' advice.

HB 6205 does not make any changes to the Parental Notification of Abortion Act of 1995 or to the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act.

Sheila Feeney

Algonquin