The Herald-News

Lt. Gov. Stratton to visit Joliet to address Trump administration policies on women’s health

Program at Will Co. Health Dept. open to the public

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton talks to Capitol News Illinois at a union office building in Springfield on Wednesday about her campaign to replace outgoing Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton talks to Capitol News Illinois at a union office building in Springfield on Wednesday about her campaign to replace outgoing Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (Jerry Nowicki)

By Jessie Molloy

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton will host the second in a series of Standing up for Illinois events in Joliet on Friday.

The program, titled “Standing up for Illinois: Protecting Women”, will discuss the impact of the Trump administration’s policies on women at the Will County Health Department, 501 Ella Ave. in Joliet, on Friday.

The event is scheduled from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and is open to the public but requires an RSVP by noon on Thursday, Aug. 14.

Stratton will be joined by Deputy Gov. for Health and Human Services Grace Hou, Planned Parenthood of Illinois Interim President and CEO Tonya Tucker, Women Employed President and CEO Cherita Ellens, Chair of the Cook County Commission on Women’s Issues Audra Wilson, Vice Chair for Research, Development, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine Melissa Simon, and obstetrics nurse Cheryl Picard.

Stratton is running for the U.S. Senate seat that will open due to fellow Democrat Dick Durbin not seeking re-election in 2026.

A press release from Stratton’s office described the event as “a round table to discuss the myriad ways federal policy changes will harm women in Illinois, including how President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will affect women’s access to primary and reproductive healthcare, along with the economic implications for women from federal funding cuts.”

Some of the policies which will be part of the discussion include:

  • Cuts to SNAP and Medicaid
  • Cuts and delays to the Head Start programs, which could raise the costs of child care
  • Limits on abortion access and Planned Parenthood funding cuts
  • Cuts to healthcare for undocumented immigrants
  • Limitations on protections for reproductive health data under HIPPA
  • Rollback of Title IX guidance to strengthen accountability for sexual assault perpetrators

The event is part of a series of discussions being hosted by Stratton and Gov. JB Pritzker about the impacts of recent Trump Administration policies.

Stratton has previously discussed the impact budget cuts will have on SNAP recipients at an event at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

JolietWill CountyIllinoisDonald TrumpJuliana StrattonHealth CareWomenEducationShaw Local Front HeadlinesBreaking

Jessie Molloy

Jessie has been reporting in Chicago and south suburban Will and Cook counties since 2011.