Will County Gazette

Illinois state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) recently explained that the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade will likely have "no impact" on abortion in Illinois.

"Despite what you may hear, today’s ruling will have no impact on Illinois," Rezin said in a June 24 Facebook post. "The Majority Party has already passed some of the most aggressive abortion laws in the nation, including allowing late-term abortions & minors to undergo surgical procedures without notifying their parents."

Illinois Democrats passed legislation last fall repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion (PNA) Act, which required that the parent or guardian of a minor be notified prior to the minor undergoing an abortion procedure; a recent press release from the office of Illinois state Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) said. The law did not require permission from the guardian, only notification. Gov. JB Pritzker signed the repeal into law, and it took effect on June 1.

"Despite the action of the Supreme Court today overturning Roe v. Wade, the right to safe, accessible reproductive health care is in full force in Illinois - and will remain so," Pritzker said in a June 24 press release from the State.

"In Illinois, we've planned for this terrible day, an enormous step backward and a shattering loss of rights," Pritzker said in the release. "We passed the Reproductive Health Act, enshrining choice as the law of the land in Illinois. We removed the trigger law that would have prohibited abortion in Illinois with the overturning of Roe v Wade. We expanded health care so that finances are not a barrier to receiving reproductive care.

"In Illinois, we are a state committed to expanding access to reproductive health care including abortion care, contraception access, fertility treatment and gender affirming care. We've made it clear that we trust people to make the best decisions for themselves about their own reproductive health.

"In Illinois, we will hold firm to these rights and continue to work with stakeholders to expand them. To that end, I am calling the General Assembly into special session in the coming weeks, with the support and consultation of House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch and Senate President Don Harmon. Together, we are committed to taking swift action to further enshrine our commitment to reproductive health care rights and protections."

Illinois has some of the laxest abortion laws in the country, a recent report from the Chicago Tribune said. Thousands of women from different states come to Illinois for abortions every year. In 2020, more than 36,000 Illinois women had abortions, while almost 10,000 out-of-state women traveled to Illinois for abortions.

Taxpayer-funded abortions in Illinois have increased since the passage of HB 40 in 2018, a WICS/WRSP report said. Illinois taxpayers footed the bill for 1,561 abortions in the first six months of 2018, including one for a 12-year-old girl.