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 was seeking an abortion (House Bill 2467).
Democratic state Rep. Mark Walker, who represents parts of Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows and Prospect Heights, has not returned calls for comment on the legislation to legalize third-trimester abortions and repeal parental-notification laws. In his 2018 Sun-Times candidate questionnaire, however, Walker vowed to advocate for pro-abortion policy.
Gov. J.B. 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.
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