Will County Gazette

Predicting what would happen hasn’t made accepting the reality of it any easier for Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield).

“Sadly, it’s exactly what I expected would happen and it will probably continue to be the case if we don’t come together to do something about it,” Batinick told the Will County Gazette of news that the number of taxpayer-funded abortions in Illinois has increased by nearly four times over the first six-months of 2018 compared to the same time last year.

Records show 314 taxpayer-funded abortions were performed from January to June this year, compared to just 84 during the same period last year, according to Illinois News Network.

That increase comes on the heels of House Bill 40, which paved the way for Medicaid recipients and state employees to use tax dollars for such procedures.

“[Gov. Rauner] will find out in November how voters across the entire state feel about his actions,” said Batinick, who is running for re-election in the 97th District in November’s general election.

Passage of the law offers a clear illustration of just how off-centered the state’s priorities have become in recent times, Batinick said.

“It’s more proof of how upside down we are as a state,” he said. “There are a lot more things we could and should be doing with taxpayer’s hard-earned money than paying for things like this, which a lot of people will never, ever stand in support of.”

As a testament to that, state Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard) has filed a legal challenge to the law.

Batinick has previously estimated that the new law could costs taxpayers up to $30 million annually to fund.