North Cook News

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent landmark decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Illinois State Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) commented on the extremeness of Illinois' current abortion policies.

"Today's Supreme Court ruling was both a recognition of the sanctity of human life and a justified reversal of an 'exercise of raw judicial power,'" Morrison said in a June 24 statement posted on Facebook. "The Supreme Court is rightly returning abortion policy to the states and to the people's representatives in Congress and the state legislatures. Since the country's founding, state laws—to varying degrees—have always recognized and protected life within the womb. That is what this decision represents.

"Sadly, Illinois' abortion policy has become an extreme outlier compared to other states and most countries. That is, there are no restrictions on abortions in Illinois—even up until birth. State taxpayers are required to pay for abortions via Medicaid and state-sponsored health insurance plans. Even some out-of-state residents might receive abortions paid for by Illinois taxpayers, according to our current policies. Additionally, despite bipartisan opposition and widespread public disapproval—even among those who self-identify as pro-choice on abortion—the legislature and Gov. Pritzker eliminated the state's parental notification law that protected minor girls who sought and/or had an abortion."

Last fall, Illinois Democrats passed legislation repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion (PNA) Act, which required that the parent or guardian of a minor must be notified prior to the minor undergoing an abortion procedure, a recent press release from Illinois state Sen. Craig Wilcox's (R-32nd Dist.) office said.  The law did not require permission from the guardian, just notification. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the repeal into law, and it took effect on June 1.

"Pregnancy resource centers across Illinois and the U.S. have been serving and will continue to aid women and families who face unintended or difficult pregnancies—regardless of a respective state's abortion policies. We still have much work to do to help promote respect for all lives—from conception until natural death," Morrison said in his statement.

Illinois has some of the laxest abortion laws in the country, a Chicago Tribune report said. Thousands of women from different states come to Illinois for abortions every year. In 2020, more than 36,000 Illinois women had abortions, while almost 10,000 out-of-state women traveled to Illinois to have the procedure done.

Taxpayer-funded abortions in Illinois have increased since the passage of HB 40 in 2018, WICS/WRSP reported. Illinois taxpayers footed the bill for 1,561 abortions in the first six months of 2018, including one for a 12-year-old girl.

"Despite the action of the Supreme Court today overturning Roe v. Wade, the right to safe, accessible reproductive health care is in full force in Illinois - and will remain so," Pritzker said in a recent press release from the State. "In Illinois, we've planned for this terrible day, an enormous step backward and a shattering loss of rights. We passed the Reproductive Health Act, enshrining choice as the law of the land in Illinois. We removed the trigger law that would have prohibited abortion in Illinois with the overturning of Roe v Wade. We expanded health care so that finances are not a barrier to receiving reproductive care.

"In Illinois, we are a state committed to expanding access to reproductive health care including abortion care, contraception access, fertility treatment and gender affirming care. We've made it clear that we trust people to make the best decisions for themselves about their own reproductive health.

"In Illinois, we will hold firm to these rights and continue to work with stakeholders to expand them. To that end, I am calling the General Assembly into special session in the coming weeks, with the support and consultation of House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch and Senate President Don Harmon. Together, we are committed to taking swift action to further enshrine our commitment to reproductive health care rights and protections."