SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To ensure residents have affordable and accessible healthcare available, state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, sponsored a new law that provides certain types of hormonal contraception over the counter.

“According to the Center for Disease Control, 65% of women ages 18 to 49 use some type of birth control on a daily basis,” said Hirschauer. “With birth control being so widely used and comprehensive sexual education being taught in schools to educate students about the safety and effectiveness of birth control, anyone who chooses to use hormonal contraception should be able to receive it with ease.” 

House Bill 135, sponsored by Hirschauer, will allow certain types of hormonal contraceptives to be available for patients over the counter from pharmacists. Interested residents will have to complete a self-screening risk assessment, based upon CDC guidelines, to determine if a patient is eligible for over-the-counter contraception or must see a doctor for further analysis. Once eligible, residents will be able to receive a 12-month prescription of birth control and will also receive information on all birth control options, even ones not available over the counter. The bill was recently passed through both legislative chambers and signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.  

“A person may not be able to go to a doctor due to work, school or personal reasons; sometimes, a person may not even be able to afford a doctor’s appointment but may still need a contraceptive,” continued Hirschauer. “Under new law, people who need birth control can receive it with ease and can have control over their own health.”

​

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. – Illinois residents can now check their vaccination status and pull up their vaccine card online through a new program from Illinois Department of Public Health and supported by state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia.

“As the Delta variant of COVID-19 surges and more businesses and events require vaccination status for entry, the new Vax Verify system makes proving vaccination status easy,” said Hirschauer. “Vax Verify is a safe, secure and simple way to pull up your vaccination card if needed, without worrying about confidential information becoming public.”

The Vax Verify program, created by the Illinois Department of Public Health, allows any Illinois resident over the age of 18 to check their vaccination status online. To use Vax Verify, residents must complete a one-time confidential verification process. After verification, residents will be able to view their own record in the Illinois Comprehensive Automated Immunization Registry Exchange (I-CARE). Interested residents can begin verifying their account or view their vaccine status at https://idphportal.illinois.gov.

“Nearly seven million Illinois residents have already gotten the COVID-19 vaccine,” continued Hirschauer. “Vax Verify just continues to simply the process of being vaccinated and putting Illinois on the right track to opening safely.”