An Illinois judge ruled today that taxpayers in the Midwestern state must pay for abortions. The state judge refused to issue an injunction blocking a new state law forcing Illinois residents to fund abortions with our taxpayer dollars.
Associate Judge Jennifer M. Ascher of Sangamon County’s Seventh Judicial Circuit Court denied the request for an emergency injunction and temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the controversial HB 40 in the lawsuit filed by pro-life residents. The taxpayer lawsuit, filed at the end of November in the Sangamon County Circuit Court and heard in court today, is brought on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Illinois taxpayers, represented by county and statewide pro-life organizations, the Springfield Catholic Diocese, and a group of Illinois legislators from across the state.
The Thomas More Society is representing the pro-life residents and it told LifeNews after the ruling that it is beginning the process of appealing today’s court decision allowing Illinois officials to implement a law that will put state taxpayers on the hook for paying for tens of thousands of abortions in the New Year.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling and will seek an immediate appeal,” stated Peter Breen, Thomas More Society Special Counsel. “The Illinois Constitution was clearly violated here.”
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed the controversial bill.
Rauner supports abortion, but he previously said he would veto the radical pro-abortion bill. Rauner said taxpayer funding for abortion is too “divisive,” a fact backed up by polling. Polls consistently show that a strong majority of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortions, including those who identify as pro-choice. But Rauner did not stick to his promise.
Emily Troscinski, executive director of Illinois RTL said Illinois once funded unrestricted abortions through Medicaid in the late 1970s, and taxpayers paid about $1.8 million for about 12,738 abortions at the time – so “12,000 abortions per year isn’t an exaggeration.”
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According to the Pro-Life Action League, the bill also would keep abortion legal in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned.
Furthermore, the Illinois State Assembly synopsis of the bill says the bill would remove “language [from state law and policy] … that the unborn child is a human being from the time of conception and is, therefore, a legal person for purposes of the unborn child’s right to life.”
In October 2016, a Politico/Harvard University poll found that just 36 percent of likely voters supported taxpayer funding for abortions, while 58 percent opposed it. These findings are consistent with previous polls from various groups.
Interestingly, the poll also found that voters who make more than $75,000 were more supportive of forcing taxpayers to fund abortions (45 percent in favor), while those who make $25,000 or less were strongly against it (24 percent in favor).
In other words, the people most likely to qualify for a Medicaid-covered, taxpayer-funded abortion are the ones who oppose it the most.
ACTION: Complain to Gov. Rauner. Call Rauner at 217-782-0244. Or send him an electronic message here.
