Planned Parenthood
lawyer to speak on
contraception legislation
Roberta Riley, a lawyer who in June won a landmark sex discrimination court case, will speak at 4:30 p.m. today in 180 PLC.
Riley was the lead counsel in the federal court case Erickson v. Bartell Drug Co., which ruled that an employer’s exclusion of contraception from its health plan is illegal sex discrimination.
Now the general counsel for Planned Parenthood of Western Washington, Riley leads a project aimed at convincing every national health plan to cover prescription contraceptives.
In November, Riley won a Ms. Magazine Woman of the Year award for her accomplishments on the behalf of women.
Students for Choice and Planned Parenthood are sponsoring Riley’s talk as well as a workshop at 3 p.m. today in the EMU Walnut Room. The workshop will focus on past and future contraceptive legislation, especially in Oregon. Scheduled speakers include former state representative Kitty Piercy and Sheara Cohen from the Oregon chapter of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights League.
Students for Choice Co-Director Lauren Manes said many students don’t realize that once they graduate and aren’t eligible for Student Health Center services, their insurance company may not cover prescriptive contraception costs.
— Kara Cogswell
