The Special Collections Department at the Richard J. Daley Library announces that its historical collection of the Illinois Pro-Choice Alliance (IPCA) Records is now available for consultation by researchers.
The IPCA was founded in 1979 in response to a statute of the Illinois General Assembly that declared that the state would subsidize only abortions that were "necessary for the preservation of the life of the woman seeking such treatment." Made up of religious, civic, labor, and women's rights organizations, the IPCA sought to defend access to safe, legal abortion for women in Illinois.
Comprising seventeen linear feet, the Illinois Pro-Choice Alliance Records reflect the founding, history, activism, membership, and mission of the Alliance from 1979 to 1991. The material in the collection consists of IPCA pamphlets, flyers, conference packets, correspondence, and meeting minutes. The collection reflects the organizing and lobbying efforts of the IPCA and contains information about abortion legislation and practice in Illinois. The collection also contains information about pro-life organizations operating in Illinois.
The finding aid is available in the Special Collections Department of the Richard J. Daley Library during Reading Room hours, Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 4:40 pm, and will be available on the Library's Web site later this year. For more information, please contact Special Collections at lib-spec@uic.edu.
