The DES Action Group was a Springfield community organization founded in 1975 and dedicated to educating the public on the dangers of diethylstilbestrol (DES). This carcinogenic drug was given as a preventative for miscarriage to pregnant women as early as the 1940s. The DES Action Group was organized to disseminate information to the public about the health hazards of DES to women and their children, and to promote better and more accessible testing facilities for DES related health problems.

The group consisted of fifteen core members, including local representatives of the New American Movement, the Springfield City Health Department, the People’s Institute, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the National Organization of Women, the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s Department of Health Care Planning, and Planned Parenthood of the Springfield Area. Principal leaders included Susan Sherard of Planned Parenthood, founder and chief spokesperson; Ron Sakolsky, Assistant Professor at Sangamon State University; and Don Merkin, Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.