Illinois’ new Democratic governor, and a complicit Democratic legislature, are reportedly “fast-tracking” a pair of identical measures in the Illinois House and Senate designed to greatly extend legal abortion within the state of Illinois, wipe out parental notice requirements, and deny any and all rights to any pre-born individuals in the state.
The Federalist reports that the new laws boil down to one sentence: “A fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights under the laws of this State.”
Per that outline, the bills would mimic similar measures in New York state and Virginia, which would legalize abortion up until the moment of birth (and, potentially, throughout the birthing process). Like New York’s law, it would alter the state’s code, completely decriminalizing any harm or murder of a wanted child — through domestic abuse or intentional act — along with other major changes to state policy.
“According to the legal group’s analysis, the bill would prohibit the state from interfering in any way with abortions. It would erase criminal penalties for performing abortions and allow non-doctors to do them. The legislation also would repeal the partial-birth abortion ban and abortion clinic regulations that protect women’s health,” pro-life news outlet LifeNews reports, based on a legislative analysis provided by in-state, pro-life public interest law firm, the Thomas More Society.
Additionally, the state is now “prohibited from intruding in a woman’s ‘reproductive health care decision-making” and creates an avenue for a woman to bring a lawsuit should she feel this right was violated,'” meaning that individual localities cannot roll back any part of this abortion legislation. It also appears that the bill will punish those doctors and other medical services professionals who will not perform and do not refer for abortion — potentially even those who have moral objections to the procedure.
LifeNews adds that, “the Illinois legislation would treat abortion as a ‘fundamental right’ and strip away even minor protections for unborn babies and medical professionals who object to abortions.”
Both bills are likely to pass the legislature. The Democrats control both houses of the state legislature, and extreme abortion bills passed even under the former Republican governor, Bruce Rauner, including a measure that prohibited doctors from refusing to refer for abortion if they do not personally provide the “service.”
The Thomas More Society report drives home the severity of the situation.
“The Reproductive Health Act is an extreme bill that would basically enshrine abortion as a positive good in Illinois law,” the law firm noted.
Fox News reports that “Peter Breen, vice president and senior counsel for Thomas More, said in a statement, adding that the Democratic legislation would change the ‘Land of Lincoln’ into the ‘Abortion Capital of America.'”
Both of the bills were supposed to go in front of a committee on Wednesday, March 6, 2018, but there are currently 70 bills pending before that committee. It has not been discussed yet, as of Thursday, but the Federalist notes that “the deadline to pass bills out of committee and onto the floor for consideration by the whole House is March 29.” The committee is currently soliciting commentary on the bill, as well as witness slips.
Via DailyWire
