Rabbi Mark Kalish, state representative for parts of Morton Grove, Niles, Lincolnwood and Skokie, has not returned calls for comment on the legislation to legalize third-trimester abortions and repeal parental notification laws.
Following the lead of their New York counterparts, Democrats in Illinois’ state legislature have filed several controversial abortion bills. One piece of legislation would legalize abortion at any time during pregnancy. The bill also removes right-of-conscience protections and would allow abortions to be performed by non-doctors (House Bill 2495).
Also filed is a companion bill to repeal the Parental Notification Act of 1995, which requires a family member to be notified when a minor is seeking an abortion (House Bill 2467).
Gov. Pritzker promised to make Illinois the “most progressive state in the nation” on the issue of abortion. His promise was delivered during a press conference at which he issued an executive order to enforce House Bill 40, a bill signed by former Gov. Bruce Rauner. HB 40 allowed women to pay for an abortion using a state insurance plan or Medicaid coverage.
If the proposed bills pass in the legislature, Pritzker has publicly vowed that they will be signed into law.
During his appointment process, Kalish was quoted as saying, “I’m proud to have been one of the foot soldiers ... to protect a woman’s right to choose. It’s clear that Roe [v. Wade] is at risk from Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointees.
“Protecting access to safe and legal reproductive health care ... is a priority for me because a woman’s right to choose is under assault from Washington,” Kalish added.
In 2017, outgoing representative Lou Lang was a key sponsor of House Bill 40 to ensure taxpayer funding of abortion.
"I would never, ever appoint somebody to replace me that didn’t share my values," Lang told Politico. "Yes, [Kalish is] pro-choice."
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