Thank you Representative Avery Bourne for speaking for our caucus and the unborn! This bill has a great title but is being sold to the public as a reaction to other states and as a women’s health bill.
What does the Sb25 (Reproductive Health Act) bill mean?
Abortion is, and will remain, legal in Illinois whether or not this bill becomes law. The bill that was before us today does not restrict current Illinois abortion law, but instead seeks to expand it and give Illinois one of the most liberal and progressive abortion laws in the country. A “no” vote on this bill does not restrict abortion, but rather stops the expansion of abortion—including making it possible to obtain a post-viability abortion and making it public policy of the state that unborn children have no rights under Illinois law.
Under this bill, every individual who becomes pregnant has a fundamental right to continue the pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion, and to make autonomous decisions about how to exercise that right. Even worse, this bill could render the Parental Notice Act, which requires a minor to give notice to their parents prior to an abortion, unenforceable.
Additional Points not “codifying current practice” as the sponsor stated:
**Health Care Professionals can perform an abortion… meaning a doctor is expanded to included physicians assistants and nurses
**Death of a mother as a result of an abortion is no longer required to be investigated by a coroner
**Removes “including abortions” are performed under circumstances that insure maximum safety
We can, and must, do better in this state.