Young girls in Illinois soon will be able to abort their unborn babies – or be forced to by abusers – without their parents’ knowledge or consent.
This week, the Illinois legislature passed a radical pro-abortion bill to repeal the state parental notification law for abortions, a 1995 law that required a parent to be notified at least 48 hours before their underage daughter had an abortion.
Ignoring massive opposition from human trafficking survivors, parents and state residents, the Illinois House passed the repeal bill in a 62-51 vote late Wednesday night, following a state Senate vote earlier this week, ABC 7 Chicago reports.
After the vote, WIFR 23 captured several photos of pro-abortion lawmakers hugging each other to celebrate the passage of the widely unpopular bill.
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Republican lawmakers criticized Democrats for doing the bidding of the billion-dollar abortion lobby, rather than listening to voters and protecting children. They pointed to a recent poll that found 72 percent of Illinois voters support the parental notification law, including many who identified as pro-choice.
One pro-life lawmaker broke down in tears on the House floor as she begged Democrat lawmakers to consider what they were voting for, according to WIFR.
“All I’m asking for you is to be consistent,” said state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville. “Be consistent with the votes after votes that you’ve taken that have allowed parents basic knowledge and involvement in their minor children’s life. That’s all. As much as you want to write a big political statement about what you did to support women, voting for this is failing girls. And it’s failing good parents.”
Illinois law prohibits children under 18 from buying lottery tickets, using tanning beds, buying cigarettes, and undergoing most other medical procedures without a parent’s knowledge or consent. Abortion now is the exception.
While Democrats and pro-abortion groups claimed the repeal will help girls who are victims of domestic abuse, Republican lawmakers and pro-life advocates said the opposite is true. The parental notification law allows young girls to request permission from a judge, rather than a parent, in cases of abuse. Pro-life leaders said its repeal will allow abusers and human traffickers to better hide their abuse from girls’ parents.
Here’s more from the report:
Rep. Chris Bos (R-Lake Zurich) said he has personally seen parental notification save lives. The Republican works as an advocate against sex trafficking. He asked representatives to stand with victims and not put them at risk.
“If this passes, you will be allowing those who victimize and abuse children not just here in Illinois, but from all over the US, to walk their victims into a clinic, force them to have an abortion, hide the evidence of their crime, and continue the cycle of violence. Do not further empower those pimps, those traffickers, those who rape, sexually abuse, and exploit these children for their own personal and selfish gains,” Bos said.
Advocate Brook Bellow, who was trafficked as a young teen, also urged lawmakers to keep the law in place, saying she might have been rescued sooner if there had been a parental notification law in the state when her abusers took her for her abortions.
Strong opposition came from Illinois residents, too. NBC 5 Chicago reports voters submitted nearly 50,000 notices of opposition to the legislation this fall, demanding that their politicians keep the parental notification law in place.
However, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a pro-abortion Democrat, is expected to sign the bill. It is slated to take effect June 1, 2022.
Planned Parenthood Illinois and the American Civil Liberties Union celebrated after the vote, claiming the repeal is about trusting young people to “choose” what is best for themselves.
“We are proud of our elected champions State Representative Anna Moeller and State Senator Elgie Sims who acknowledged the decades of research and experience that show how forced parental involvement laws harm young people and serve no valid purpose,” said Jennifer Welch, CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action.
But the Catholic Conference of Illinois mourned the lawmakers’ action and the devastating impact that it will have on children and families.
“Repealing this law defies public support and is contrary to the legal and moral right of parents to care for their children,” the conference said in a statement. “Today’s vote is and will be a tragedy for many families, young girls and so many unborn children. We pray for the day when every human life may be cherished from conception to natural death.”
Parental notification laws protect children from coercion and abuse and ensure adults are involved in making important, irreversible and life-threatening decisions about their child and grandchild. They also protect young victims of sexual abuse who may be forced or coerced into an abortion by their abuser. Research shows that these laws help save unborn babies from abortions.
Currently, 37 states currently require parental involvement (consent or notification) before a minor has an abortion. A 2011 Gallup poll found 71 percent of Americans favor laws requiring parents’ involvement in a minor’s abortion decision.
ACTION ALERT: Contact Gov. J.B. Pritzker and urge him to veto the bill.
