The Indiana legislature is back in session, and we’re back at it, too, making sure Hoosiers continue to have access to PPIN’s preventive health care.

Thus far, we’re tracking just a few bills that include some troubling language – bills that undermine access to medication abortion, for example.  On the flip side, there are even a couple of bills that attempt to roll back the damage done in 2011, such as HB 1109, filed by State Rep. Linda Lawson.

We’ll update you on these bills later, if they move forward in the legislature.  In the meantime, if you’re curious about the legislative process, and how a bill becomes a law, click here.

While this is a “short session” for Indiana’s legislators – one that’s supposed to end March 14 and address emergency measures only – we still want and need you to get involved.  One only has to remember what happened in 2011, and in Mississippi, to know that expressing your opinions LOUDLY and often, is important.

Here’s how you can stand with us:

• Be informed. Share accurate information with those you know on your social networking pages by becoming a Social Networking Guru for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana.
• Volunteer to join our Writers Circle.
• Volunteer to attend and/or testify at a legislative hearing in support of PPIN by emailing Advocates@ppin.org.
• Join the Planned Parenthood Action Network.
• Talk with legislators from your part of the state (or any others you happen to know) – in person, by email or by phone.

Also, if you haven’t checked out the national Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s “Women Are Watching” campaign, now is a good time to do so.  It’s yet another way to make sure you’re up to speed on attacks on women’s health and where candidates stand on pivotal health care issues.

It’s a busy time here, but we’re on top of things, and looking out for our patients.

This Sunday, January 22, will mark the 39^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade – what better way to honor this milestone than ensuring low-income Hoosiers’ preventive health care needs continue to be met.

What are your thoughts on this year’s legislative session?  Be sure to leave a comment below!

Take this smart young woman, for example. Morgan Humphrey recently returned from an activist boot camp in Virginia, and she was kind enough to share some of what she learned there. Check out her guest blog post below.
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During the 2011 mid-term elections, Erin Houchin, Mackenzie Szymanski and I, three interns from Planned Parenthood of Indiana, participated in a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) boot camp hosted by the Planned Parenthood of Virginia Political Action Committee. Along with 24 other pro-choice activists, we spent four days engaging with voters about the Nov. 8 election, encouraging them to vote for Virginia State Sen. Edd Houck. We canvassed door-to-door, phone-banked and conducted two visibility events. Between Saturday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon our group of women in pink shirts knocked on more than 4,800 doors and made over 13,000 calls to identified potential supporters of the senator.

Sen. Houck consistently votes pro-choice and is a long-time supporter of Planned Parenthood. His position as the chair of the Health and Education Committee has been crucial in preventing anti-choice legislation from advancing to the floor of the Virginia State Senate. During the 2011 legislative session, for example, his committee blocked anti-choice efforts such as fetal personhood laws, mandatory ultrasounds for women seeking abortion, restrictions on comprehensive sex education and targeted regulations against abortion providers (TRAP) laws. Because of his outward support for Planned Parenthood and pro-choice voting record, Sen. Houck was targeted by the No Excuse Ministry PAC, an anti-choice organization, during his campaign.

The GOTV boot camp was an incredibly rewarding experience. I learned a great deal about the inner workings of a political campaign and the unique vocabulary associated with organizing and campaigning. I also learned tips for door-to-door canvassing, from the obvious (“smile and make eye contact”) to the less obvious (“shake the fence before you open it!”). With experience, I became more comfortable and confident in engaging voters, and I was able to balance  following a script with having a conversation. I learned the importance of asking supporters when they plan on voting — a casual question that prompts them to consider the logistics of getting to the polls.

Sadly, I also learned what it’s like to work hard on a campaign and lose. Though I know our efforts were not pointless, it has been a difficult process, internalizing the senator’s loss and how that reflects on my abilities. The Republicans now hold a majority in the Virginia Senate and anti-choice measures are expected to follow in the upcoming legislative session. Despite ending on a negative note, the hands-on knowledge and skills I acquired will be invaluable during the upcoming legislative session in Indiana, and the 2012 election. Additionally, I connected with 24 inspiring women activists, from Maine to California, who I can contact for ideas and support in my future work for reproductive justice.

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If you’re interested in getting involved, and participating in events like the one Morgan described above, be sure to email us at advocates@ppin.org. We’d love to add you to our PPIN activists list!

Happy Thanksgiving! And before we go, we have to ask, what are you thankful for this year?

And you know that preventive care is our primary focus.

So, you won’t be surprised that 1.) we’ve got flu shots for you at 19 of our health centers across the state, and 2.) we’re cutting the price of those vaccines so even more Hoosiers can afford them.

Beginning today, you can get a flu shot for $18 at the following PPIN health centers:  Avon, Bloomington, Columbus, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis-Castleton, Indianapolis-Eastside, Indianapolis-Midtown, Indianapolis-Southside, Hammond, Lafayette, Madison, Merrillville, Mishawaka, Muncie, Richmond, Terre Haute, Valparaiso and Warsaw.

You must be at least 12 years old to get your flu shot at one of our centers, and please don’t forget that you need to make an appointment.  You can find the contact information for our centers here, so you can make one of those appointments right now.

We’d love it if you could share this price drop news with your friends and family.  Be sure to tell them that our shots are more affordable than ever, and most often, they’re cheaper than what you’ll find at your local pharmacy.

Is a flu shot on your to-do list?  Let us know below!

A little over a year ago, we launched this blog with a post titled “Let’s Talk.”

It seems we’ve come full circle now, because while we still hope this blog is encouraging folks to talk about their reproductive health, this new post is dedicated to a specific discussion:  comprehensive sex education.

October is “Let’s Talk” month across the country, and thanks to the Asante Children’s Theatre in Indianapolis, we’ve got a great way to spur parents and young people to chat about everything from peer pressure, birth control and healthy relationships to STDs and being a responsible mom or dad.

The theatre put together these webisdoes, which are based on a similar play the group produced last year.  The videos share the story of a young woman who has sex with a classmate and gets pregnant.  They offer a vivid look at the emotional ups and downs of their situation, not to mention how their friends and families react.  We think you’ll find the webisodes gripping and thought-provoking.

Because we’re encouraging frank discussions of some tough issues, please know that the videos do include some equally tough language.  We recommend that families utilize them with young people 13 and older.

Click on the logo below to head to our “Let’s Talk” page that includes the webisodes.

Take a look and let us know what you think in the Comments section.  More important, if you have the opportunity, please use these videos as a teaching tool and jumping-off point for talking about some very important topics.

Here’s what PPFA President Cecile Richards has to say about this politically-motivated move:

“I want to be crystal clear: we are not afraid of Rep. Stearns and his baseless demands.  I am proud of the work Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates do, and I know how seriously they take their role as financial stewards of grants, government funding, and contributions from supporters like you.

But you know as well as I do that this isn’t about fiscal responsibility.  This is about harassment and intimidation of America’s leading provider and advocate of women’s health care.  This is about an effort to undercut Planned Parenthood and undermine Planned Parenthood health centers’ ability to provide essential care to the women, men, and teens who rely on them.  This is about a pattern of politically motivated attacks designed to eliminate Planned Parenthood once and for all.”

Clearly, this has to stop.  And we need you to help us stop it.

When PPFA delivers the boxes of documents Congressman Stearns has demanded, we want to help them add one more:  stacks of letters to Rep. Stearns signed by thousands of Planned Parenthood supporters from every state across the country.  We want to show him how many Hoosiers are unwilling to stand by quietly while he and his anti-choice, anti-women’s health buddies keep hammering at Planned Parenthood.

Will you sign? Click here to add your name.

Rep. Stearns and his allies failed in their attacks on women’s health and Planned Parenthood this spring because of the massive outcry from people like you.  They tried on the floor of Congress – nearly shutting down the government over their ideological agenda.  They tried in state legislatures, in many cases where courts have declared their attempts unconstitutional.  Now, Stearns and his allies are looking for a different way to come after Planned Parenthood.  They’re misusing their power to harass Planned Parenthood and keep our health centers from serving patients.

You stood with Planned Parenthood before, now we need you to stand up and speak out again. Tell Rep. Stearns to end his senseless efforts to intimidate Planned Parenthood.

We can’t tell you how much your voice matters, and how much stronger you make Planned Parenthood of Indiana.

What do you think about this so-called investigation?  This may be a leading question, but shouldn’t Congress be addressing the 9-percent unemployment rate?

We have a fabulous opportunity for you to see the Midwest premiere of Spring Awakening, winner of eight Tony Awards, before anyone else!

Even better, if you attend this sneak preview on Sept. 21 — you’ll be helping out PPIN.

Check out the details below, and buy your tickets ASAP!  The deadline to get in on this special performance is Sept. 20!

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Join Planned Parenthood of Indiana for a special preview performance and reception for Spring Awakening, with music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics and book by Steven Sater.

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Preview Performance & Reception

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Phoenix Theatre

749 N Park Avenue, Indianapolis

Reception at 6:30 p.m.

Performance at 7:30 p.m.

Buy your tickets online today!

Winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Spring Awakening tells the story of 11 young people in 1891 Germany – five females and six males – who are on the brink of maturity and have questions about their bodies, their futures and their very existence, which are not being answered by their parents or their teachers or any existing social or political institutions including the church.  Left to their own devices, these young people – just like those of today – find the answers any way they can, including through each other.

Proceeds from this performance benefit Planned Parenthood of Indiana’s education programs.

Please note that this performance contains mature themes, strong language and is recommended for mature audiences.

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Will we see you there?

They look a bit like tricked-out bar codes, and they work similarly, but these two-dimensional QR codes are used in a different way.

Here’s some good information that The NonProfit Times shared recently about this new phenomenon:

“You’ve probably seen QR codes, which look and act like the oddly patterned cousins of grocery store checkout bar codes — you scan them to automatically receive information — but do you know what to do with them? They can be scanned with a smartphone camera to provide more information about a product, or to open a web page in your phone’s browser.

Nonprofits are starting to realize all the possibilities this technology can provide. For instance, a QR code in a newsletter can easily route people to a webpage where they can subscribe to an eNewsletter instead. A code in a piece of direct mail could provide fast access to online donation functionality, or to link to a virtual, online “tour” of a school or performance space. Museums could put QR codes next to each displayed piece to provide much more detailed information online than could practically be displayed.

The codes work with most smartphones, though some phones may need to download a free application first.”

The QR code we included above is PPIN‘s “donate” code, which provides folks like you with another way to show your support.  If you’ve got a smartphone, try it out! 

And below is our “Talk About Sex” QR code — this one will take you to  a video about the importance of open communication as it relates to sexuality education.

We’re excited to use this cutting-edge technology.  You can expect to see our codes on PPIN letters right away, and later in newsletters and at events.

So, what do you think about QR codes?  Where have you seen them?  Let us know below!

Beginning Sept. 6, influenza vaccines will be available for $23 at the following PPIN health centers:

Now that you know it’s time to be thinking about the upcoming flu season – will you be getting vaccinated?  Let us know through this fancy-schmancy new poll!

I recently became a peer educator with Planned Parenthood of Indiana in Bloomington.  It’s already been a rewarding experience, as I’ve shared important information with other IU students, my friends, and my friends’ friends, about contraception, STIs, family planning and LGBT issues.

I’m extremely passionate about spreading comprehensive, medically-accurate knowledge about sexuality – but this isn’t the only reason I became involved in the PPIN program.

But most of all, they ask their friends what is normal, what is healthy and what is acceptable.

And let’s be honest, sometimes our friends aren’t the most accurate sources – because they’ve heard the same rumors that we have.  Such as, you can’t get pregnant the first time you have sex.  Or that you can contract HIV from someone’s saliva.  (Both of which are not true, by the way.)

It’s unfortunate that professionals, even those considered experts, many times are not taken seriously by students because they can be waved off as “old-fashioned” or “out-of-touch” with the current generation.  In students’ defense, college culture has changed quite a bit in the last 20 to 30 years.  It makes sense that an informed young adult might pull more weight with a young adult audience.

This is why peer education is such a unique and invaluable opportunity, one that I am trying to savor as long as I can still be considered a peer.  When I stand in front of Greek students or an IU lecture hall giving a RAISE presentation, I know my audience feels that I am on their level.  We listen to the same music, frequent the same restaurants on Kirkwood, and, most importantly, we’ve both witnessed firsthand the drinking and hooking-up culture so common to college campuses.

I understand the most current issues, misinformation and complexities that abound in this culture because they directly and inevitably affect me.

It’s important not to avoid these subjects and to address them head-on; in order to talk about safer sex, you must talk concretely about what contexts surround sexual encounters.  Not only might I be more comfortable addressing these contexts than a non-student, but I can also be taken more seriously by a student audience – an audience that understands me as a part of their culture, and a demographic that desperately needs more accurate information.

Peer education is not valued nearly as much as it should be, especially concerning the taboo subjects of sex and sexual assault.  As a peer educator I know I have made a difference to many people, whether it is helping someone decide their best options for birth control, convincing someone that getting consent before sexual activity is not optional, or being a source of compassion and support for a survivor of sexual assault.

I also know that I may not have been approached by some of these individuals if it had not been for both my status as a peer and my reputation as a source of accurate information.  These two identities, when working in tandem, provide the chance to do a whole lot of good.

I look forward to working more closely with Planned Parenthood to recruit additional peer educators, create a better-informed informed youth and facilitate a healthier tomorrow.

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What do you think about what Jessi has to say?  Are you more open with friends your age, when talking about sex?  Who do you turn to when you have questions?  Let us know below.