Rep. Anna Moeller Introduces Bill Repealing Illinois Parental Notification of Abortion Act

43rd District Representative Anna Moeller (D)
photo from Illinois General Assembly bio

On Feb 17, Rep. Anna Moeller introduced HB1797 to the Illinois House of Representatives. This bill is important for pro-lifers to follow, as it repeals one of the final abortion regulations in the state: parental notification.

Those who are politically active will have seen this coming. Pro-abortion legislators have attempted to repeal parental notification before, and Planned Parenthood has already stated its intentions to push for parental notification's repeal in 2021.

Currently, abortion businesses are required to inform a minor's parent or guardian at least 48 hours before that minor has an abortion. She is not required to get permission from her parent or guardian after they are informed, but abortion businesses are obligated to at least make a minor's caretakers aware of the situation.

Additionally, as is often the case with many parental notification laws across the country, minors in Illinois can receive a judicial bypass from a judge. This means that if a judge approves, the minor can still have an abortion without notifying a parent or guardian. The idea is that a girl living in an abusive or violent situation can avoid the repercussions that might come with parental notification.

In practice, abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood often know which judges they can contact to get judicial bypasses for any abortion-seeking minor.

Additionally, judicial bypass introduces major problems by covering up rape, sex-trafficking, and abuse. A girl who has been raped, perhaps even by a family member, can go right back to her previous living situation after having an abortion. If the girl was raped by someone outside of her family, her parents will never learn about it. The absence of parental consent enables these crimes to go unnoticed and unpunished.

By repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion Act, pro-abortion politicians will only be enabling this type of behavior even further.

Expect to see more about HB 1797 in the coming weeks.

House Committee Hearing for Parental Notification Repeal Set for Tuesday at 3:00 PM

This afternoon, the House Human Services Committee scheduled a hearing for HB 1797. It will be heard in that committee tomorrow, March 16, at 3:00 pm.

If passed into law, this bill would repeal the Parental Notification of Abortion Act.

We would ask that you please contact your legislator if they are on this committee, and file a witness slip in opposition to this pro-abortion legislation.

The Parental Notification of Abortion Act requires abortionists to notify a parent or guardian of a minor who plans to have an abortion. Not only does this help to involve parents in this life-changing decision, but it also helps to expose crimes of rape and abuse. In many situations, a minor could be pressured to hide the circumstances of her pregnancy otherwise.

The law is already lenient. A minor's parents are only notified. The minor is not required to obtain consent from her parents to follow-through on her intent to have an abortion. Current law further allows minors to avoid the parental notification requirement altogether if she makes her case to a judge. The intent behind this exception is that some girls fear they would be abused by their parents if they are notified about their intent to have abortions. However, this exception only enables abusive parents rather than helping their victims. After having an abortion, these girls will go right back home to the parents whom they fear.

By exposing abuse and allowing parents to have conversations with their daughters about abortion and the tough situations they are facing (possibly involving rape that would otherwise simply be covered up) the Parental Notification of Abortion Act does a great service.

Click here to file a witness slip opposing HB 1793.

If your legislator is on the House Human Services Committee, please contact them and tell them to oppose the repeal of the Parental Notification of Abortion Act. Click here to see the list of legislators on the committee. You can click on their names to see contact information.

ACLU Report Argues that Parental Consent (Rather than Family Abuse) Causes Harm to Minors

photo credit: Anthony Tran / Unsplash

The ACLU and Human Rights Watch recently collaborated to create a report arguing that Illinois's Parental Notification of Abortion Act causes "real harm" to minors seeking abortions.

The report, titled, “The Only People It Really Affects Are the People It Hurts” argues that parental notification laws violate human rights.

Margaret Wurth is a researcher at Human Rights Watch who authored the report. In an article for the Chicago Sun-Times, she said, “For me, the real takeaway is that this violates people’s rights and it causes real harm. It’s a human rights imperative to repeal it.”

Wurth said to WSILTV, “Most often, according to the data presented in our report, young people fear being forced to continue a pregnancy against their own will or being kicked out of the home or cut off financially.”

Under current law, parents cannot force their children to continue a pregnancy against their will. The Parental Notice of Abortion Act only requires what its title states: notification. Parental consent to the abortion is not required. Therefore, parents who abuse their children in response to their decision to abort a child can be held criminally liable for their actions.

If a minor experiences abuse by parents or guardians and fears the parental notification requirement, getting rid of parental notification will not solve the problem. The minor will simply go back to her abusive household after having an abortion and nothing will change.

Young girls can instead receive support from organizations that will remove them from abusive environments. If child protective services and police are allowed to take action, then parental notification no longer threatens these girls.

Click here to read more.

IL parental notification law again blocked

IL parental notification law again blocked ACLU Attorney Lorie Chaiten The other side's resolve for the completely unfettered right to kill babies knows no bounds. From the Chicago Sun-Times, November 4: It has been 14 years and it will be at least a few more months before IL's long-mothballed parental notification law for teens seeking abortions takes effect.... A Cook County Judge Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of the law. That came after the state doctors' disciplinary board green-lighted the law over the objections of its own lawyer. Attorneys for the ACLU, representing an abortion clinic, fought the law all the way through the federal court system and lost. Now they argue that IL's constitution, which includes a right to privacy, grants even more abortion rights than the federal constitution, which has no explicit right to privacy. An attorney for IL's abortion-rights-supporting attorney general, Lisa Madigan, who is charged with defending the law, said the writers of IL's 1970 constitution considered and rejected any laws recognizing or prohibiting a right to abortion. The state constitution is silent on the issue, Tom Ioppolo said. But Judge Daniel Riley said he was persuaded enough by the ACLU's arguments that he put the law on hold to give them time to argue their case - probably at least a few months. "I find that the arguments of the plaintiffs do in fact raise a fair question of constitutionality," Riley said. He agreed that the IL State Constitution's explicit guarantee of the right to privacy could mean a different outcome than decisions reached in federal courts around the country that have upheld parental notification laws in most states. By the count of the anti-abortion side, 44 states, including all the other states in the Midwest, have parental notification laws that have been upheld as constitutional. In 36 of those states, the law is enforced. But ACLU Attorney Lorie Chaiten [pictured above] argued that even in states that have had the notification law for years, young girls can be "abused, kicked out of their homes and left homeless" by some less-than-understanding parents. The next hearing is scheduled November 19. Contact: Jill Stanek Source: JillStanek.com Publish Date: November 5, 2009 Link to this article.   Send this article to a friend.

URGENT! Call Your Legislators to Protect Parental Notification!

As the spring legislative session comes to a close, pro-abortion legislators are working to push through a bill repealing Illinois's Parental Notice of Abortion Act. Pro-abortion legislators will have until the end of Memorial Day—the final day of this session—to call bills to a vote.

Pro-life advocates need to call their legislators and tell them to VOTE NO and save parental notification!

The Parental Notice of Abortion Act requires abortion businesses to contact a minor girl's parents if she schedules an abortion. The legislation does not require girls to obtain their parents' consent to have an abortion — it merely requires abortion businesses to notify parents or guardians. The law even allows young girls to get a judicial bypass to avoid notifying their parents altogether. Somehow, even this one pro-life protection in Illinois is too much for the abortion lobby.

Parental Notification is important because it allows parents to be involved in the life-changing decision of abortion. Additionally, it protects girls by serving as a warning sign for sex trafficking. Young girls who are trafficked and forced into abortion can be saved by parental notification laws. If parents aren't made aware of the situation, they can't help.

Please call your legislators and tell them not to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act!

To find your legislators and their phone numbers, visit the Illinois State Board of Elections website here and type your address. Please call your state senator and representative to protect parental notification!

CALL FOR ACTION - SB 1594 - Parental Notification Repeal

This is the Senate's version of HB2467.

SB 1594 passed Senate Public Health Committee  with a vote of  8 to 4 and is now on the Senate Floor in Second Reading.

Contact your Senator, urge them to vote NO on SB1594.

>>> Click here to find your Senator's Contact Information. <<<

If SB 1594 becomes law it would repeal the Parental Notification of Abortion Act of 1995 which...

        -Is constitutional per the Illinois Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals 

        -Mandates notification of a parent, grandparent or legal guardian when a minor seeks an abortionAC
      
        -Provides a judicial waiver of notice for minors that are victims of physical or sexual abuse
      
        -Has caused a decline in minor abortions by 57% from 2013 when first enforced to 2017 according to the Illinois Department of Public Health statistics (adults declined 15%)

        -Has not triggered any reported incidents of abuse or neglect of a minor as a result of notification to the minor’s parent.

Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana and Kentucky all have parental involvement laws.  If the Parental Notification Act of 1995 is repealed Illinois will become the Midwest go-to-state for minors to obtain a secret abortion.

The Illinois Federation for Right to Life put forth a lot of time and effort and was instrumental along with other pro-life organizations in Illinois to pass Parental Notification.  This bill has saved countless lives of babies and teen girls.  Underage teens may not have all the information on making life or death decisions nor may not be aware of the effects that an abortion will have on her body or her emotional and mental state.  

We can't remove this important protection that was once approved of in Illinois.  The Moms and Dads in Illinois do not deserve to have their parental rights undermined by their government nor teens lives endangered.

Contact your Senator, urge them to vote NO on SB1594

>>> Click here to find your Senator's Contact Information. <<<

Montana Judge Blocks Parental Consent Law, Allows Parental Notification

A Montana Judge issued a ruling permanently blocking Montana's state law requiring minors under the age of 16 to obtain parental consent before getting an abortion. The judge allowed a parental notification law to remain in force pending a court decision.

District Court Judge Christ Abbott wrote in his decision that the Montana state constitution's right to privacy renders the parental consent law unconstitutional and unenforceable.

“Minors can abstain from consuming alcohol or getting a tattoo with little effect on their futures, but the same cannot be said of keeping a pregnancy or having an abortion,” Judge Abbott wrote according to the Daily Montanan. “There are few decisions with higher or longer-lasting stakes in life than whether to become or stay pregnant, and even fewer (if any) with equally profound spiritual, physical, mental, social, and economic considerations. The complexity of the dilemma only reinforces its individuality and therefore its place at the core of personal privacy.”

The parental notification and consent requirements stemmed from a 2012 ballot measure in which 66% of Montana voters approved legislation requiring parental notification. Before legislators passed that bill into law, they changed it to further require parental consent with signatures. Pro-lifers in the state argue that this was necessary because abortion businesses instructed minors to send notification letters to fake addresses.

Click here to read more.

Pastor Jon Jones: Repealing Parental Notification would Cause "a major divide in the family structure.”

photo credit: Justin Brockie / Flickr

Pastor Jon Jones, who also spoke on behalf of Parents for the Protection of Girls at a news conference last week, went on WMAY's morning radio program to talk about his opposition to legislation repealing the Parental Notification of Abortion Act.

He again referenced a March 2021 poll by the Tarrance Group showing that 72% of Illinois voters support parental notification.

“I am an African American pastor in the Tinley Park area and amongst African Americans, the percentage is even higher,” Jones told WMAY. “76% of minority men and 74% of minority women support this [parental notification] law.”

He went on to argue that repealing parental notification would damage the family structure.

“Now you have adults and people of influence in your life saying ‘hey, don’t talk to your parents, just go ahead and take care of that,’” Jones said. “That causes a major divide in the family structure.”

When teachers or counselors specifically encourage young girls to avoid talking with their parents about important decisions such as abortion, that undermines their familial relationships. Parents should have the right to know if their daughter is planning to have an abortion because they can provide wisdom and emotional support throughout the process.

Click here to read more.

19 States File Brief Defending Indiana's Parental Notice Law

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

A coalition of 19 states led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court on Wednesday defending Indiana's parental notification law.

The amicus brief written by AG Paxton begins,

The Seventh Circuit has left intact an injunction against an Indiana statute requiring that the parents of an unemancipated minor receive notice when their child decides to have an abortion without parental consent. And the court did so without really considering the compelling interest that States have in encouraging parental involvement in these kinds of life-altering decisions. In other words, the court disregarded the important interest that States have in protecting minors’ welfare—an interest that this Court has repeatedly affirmed. 

The amici States seek to protect the most vulnerable members of society—children—as they face consequential decisions like whether to have an abortion.

Indiana's law is notably different from Illinois's Parental Notification of Abortion Act, since Indiana law usually requires parental consent for unemancipated minors to have abortions. Illinois only requires parental notification.

If a minor wants to get around the parental consent requirement, they can do so by convincing a judge that it is in their best interest. The judge can then grant the minor a judicial bypass, much like how a judge can grant minors a judicial bypass for parental notification in Illinois.

Even if the minor receives a judicial bypass, however, parents must still be informed that the minor is having an abortion. In Indiana, judicial bypasses only get around parental consent. In that state, parents must always be informed if their daughter is going to have an abortion.

Click here to read more.

Obama's "brazen scam" on abortion exposed by NRLC

Obama's "brazen scam" on abortion exposed by NRLC
 
Barack Obama's sweeping agenda for pro-abortion policy changes examined by NRLC's Douglas Johnson in National Review Online
 
The Obama campaign and its allies have adopted an extensive "messaging strategy" that seeks to persuade religiously committed Americans that Obama has a middle-of-the-road position on abortion policy and will promote "abortion reduction."
 
Douglas Johnson, longtime legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) and author of an article published today on National Review Online, titled "Unholy Messaging," calls the Obama effort "a brazen scam."
 
"The scam depends on the Obama campaign, with cooperation from the mainstream news media, deflecting attention away from Obama's actual record, and from his extensive commitments to pro-abortion interest groups," Johnson said.  "Barack Obama is firmly committed to an agenda of sweeping pro-abortion policy changes that, if implemented, will surely greatly increase the number of abortions performed."
 
Johnson noted that a few short months ago, during his primary contest, Obama and his advocates were boasting about his record of leadership in opposition to legislation to ban partial-birth abortions, to protect infants born alive during abortions, and to require parental notification for minors seeking abortions, among other pro-life bills.  "Those boasts were well-founded, and the current effort to re-package Obama as a moderate is a brazen scam," Johnson said.
 
The Obama "messaging" campaign includes a recently launched "Faith, Family & Values Tour" that will visit Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida, New Mexico, Virginia, and Wisconsin.  In addition, various independent groups are disseminating advertising and literature that advances the same strategy.
 
Among the specific Obama positions documented in Johnson's article (which contains extensive hyperlinks to documentation):
 
-- Obama is a cosponsor of the so-called "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA, S. 1173), which Johnson calls "the most sweeping piece of pro-abortion legislation ever proposed in Congress."  The FOCA is a bill that would make partial-birth abortion legal again, strike down restrictions on taxpayer funding of abortion, and nullify virtually every state and federal law or policy that would in any way "interfere with" access to abortion, including parental notification laws.  In a letter sent to every member of Congress by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on September 19, Cardinal Justin Rigali wrote, "No one who sponsors or supports legislation like FOCA can credibly claim to be part of a good-faith discussion on how to reduce abortions.”  In a speech to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund on July 17, 2007, Obama said, "The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.  That's the first thing that I'd do."
 
-- Obama advocates the nullification of state laws requiring parental notification or consent for a minor daughter's abortion, which would be one of the effects of the FOCA.  Moreover, since entering the U.S. Senate, Obama has had two opportunities to vote directly on the question of parental notification for interstate abortions on minors, and he voted "no" on both occasions.
 
 -- Obama advocates repeal of the Hyde Amendment, the law that since 1976 has blocked almost all federal funding of abortion, even though both pro-life and pro-abortion analysts agree that this law has prevented many abortions.  By even the most conservative estimate, there are more than one million Americans alive today because of the Hyde Amendment.   "Because the Hyde Amendment must be renewed annually, a new president hostile to the Hyde Amendment could quickly place it in jeopardy," Johnson observed.  The FOCA would also nullify all state laws restricting state funding of elective abortion.
 
-- In a written response to a pro-abortion advocacy group, the Obama campaign said that Obama is opposed to continuing current federal funding for "crisis pregnancy centers," which provide needed assistance to many thousands of pregnant women.
 
-- NRLC has thoroughly documented that in the Illinois state Senate, Obama led the opposition to legislation to protect babies who are born alive during abortions, and persisted in his opposition even after Congress had enacted a virtually identical federal bill without a single dissenting vote.  Obama has in numerous ways actively misrepresented the content of this legislation, and his actions on it, but even when such misrepresentations were proved by NRLC and others, the major media simply let Obama abandon them and fall back to a different set of equally misleading claims.
 
In his article, Johnson criticizes recent coverage in the "mainstream news media," which, he writes, "have, with few exceptions, been very compliant with Obama's recent efforts to downplay his hard-line pro-abortion history and policy commitments, for the purpose of winning the general election."  Typically, journalists simply describe Obama's position as "supports abortion rights," without giving details regarding his advocacy of federal funding of abortion, invalidation of parental notification laws, and the rest.
 
Contact: None
Source: National Right to Life
Source URL: www.nrlc.org
Publish Date: October 7, 2008
Click here to view this article
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Working Overtime to Usurp Parental Rights

 

The Illinois General Assembly overwhelmingly agreed this spring that it should be illegal for any minor 17 years or younger to use a tanning bed in Illinois, even if their parents approve. Why? Tanning beds can overexpose sensitive skin to harmful ultraviolent rays and increase the likelihood of melanoma—a deadly form of cancer.

 

The state isn't shy about protecting minors from other potentially-harmful activities. Minors under the age of 18 are banned from purchasing tobacco products. They need parental permission to be tattooed or pierced. And in Illinois, no one under the age of 21 can legally purchase alcoholic beverages.

 

But when it comes to sexual health, so-called "reproduction rights" advocates have successfully organized and pressured Illinois lawmakers to uphold children's privacy over parental rights and responsibilities. Indeed, Illinois law allows minors age 12 and above to seek counseling and medical treatment without parental notice or permission, if the 12 year old thinks he or she may have been exposed to a sexually-transmitted disease. And that so-called "treatment" now allows medical personnel to give HPV and Hepatitis B shots, without parents knowing.

 

The same activists vehemently disagree with Illinois' newly-implemented parental notification law. Within days of the Illinois State Supreme Court forcing into effect an 18-year-old state law requiring medical personnel to notify parents of underage girls of their abortion intentions 48 hours prior, pro-abortion forces set into motion a counter offensive to undermine parents and repeal the law.

 

The StopPNA.org campaign, organized by the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health and the ACLU, is urging calls to state lawmakers and is meeting to discuss moving forward legislation that would repeal Illinois' parental notification law.

 

The group argues that parental involvement in their minor daughters' reproductive health care is intrusive and obstructive. Contemplate this anti-parent statement on their website:

 

"Due to the stigma and shame of abortion, along with troubling parental/home/abusive circumstances suffered by at least a third of youth, it is imperative that young people have unfettered access to abortion. We need to ensure that young people access safe procedures performed by medical providers."

 

Up until August 15, Illinois was the only state in the Midwest not requiring parental notification (However, the U.S. Supreme Court required states to provide a judicial bypass to all underage girls). Among the shrinking number of states without parental notification, Montana is now the nearest to the west, and New York the nearest to the east.

 

At this point, 37 state legislatures have recognized that notifying parents before a minor accesses abortion is simply common sense. Who, besides the child, deals more with the consequences of medical treatment gone awry? Who knows more about a 12-year-old child's medical history? And who is more entitled to know if a crime has been committed against their underage daughters?

 

The National Abortion Federation reports that 70 percent of girls 13 years old and younger who have had sex say that sex was forced on them. Sexual acts with children 17 and under are felonies in Illinois, whether the perpetrators are adults or minors.

 

What sexually-assaulted 12-year-old facing pregnancy and considering abortion would fully comprehend the potential legal and physical complications without a trusted family member or concerned adult counseling them? Abortion clinics are not known for being protective of their clients' welfare. On several occasions, citizen journalists have documented Planned Parenthood staff counseling minors how to avoid reporting sexual assaults.

 

In contrast, imagine what would happen if a tanning bed operator offered backroom tans to kids.

 

Abortions on minors are not rare. In 2009, 251 girls under the age of 14 and 2,734 15- to 17- year olds underwent surgical abortions in Illinois. The numbers remained fairly consistent in 2010 and dropped slightly to 2544 underage abortions in 2011. Estimates are that 67,928 documented underage abortions have occurred in Illinois since 1995, when the law was signed but challenged and paused by pro-abortion activists.

 

It remains to be seen whether the law will prevent abortions, but abortion clinic owners are likely to have growing concerns about diminishing profits now that they must contact a parent of an underage girl 48 hours before she is scheduled to have an abortion

 

In the meantime, rest assured parents, whether you approve or not, your kids will not be getting artificial tans in Illinois, because they are outright banned.

 

Contact: Fran Eaton, Illinois Family Institute

Obama's Sweeping Agenda for Pro-Abortion Policy

Barack Obama's Sweeping Agenda for Pro-Abortion Policy Changes Examined by NRLC's Douglas Johnson in 'National Review Online'
 
NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson and other NRLC staff persons are available for interviews on the subject of Mr. Johnson's new article on National Review Online, "Unholy Messaging," including radio debates with advocates for Barack Obama
 
The Obama campaign and its allies have adopted an extensive "messaging strategy" that seeks to persuade religiously committed Americans that Obama has a middle-of-the-road position on abortion policy and will promote "abortion reduction."
 
Douglas Johnson, longtime legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) and author of an article published yesterday on National Review Online, titled "Unholy Messaging," calls the Obama effort "a brazen scam."
 
"The scam depends on the Obama campaign, with cooperation from the mainstream news media, deflecting attention away from Obama's actual record, and from his extensive commitments to pro-abortion interest groups," Johnson said.  "Barack Obama is firmly committed to an agenda of sweeping pro-abortion policy changes that, if implemented, will surely greatly increase the number of abortions performed."
 
Johnson noted that a few short months ago, during his primary contest, Obama and his advocates were boasting about his record of leadership in opposition to legislation to ban partial-birth abortions, to protect infants born alive during abortions, and to require parental notification for minors seeking abortions, among other pro-life bills.  "Those boasts were well-founded, and the current effort to re-package Obama as a moderate is a brazen scam," Johnson said.
 
The Obama "messaging" campaign includes a recently launched "Faith, Family & Values Tour" that will visit Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida, New Mexico, Virginia, and Wisconsin.  In addition, various independent groups are disseminating advertising and literature that advances the same strategy.
 
Among the specific Obama positions documented in Johnson's article (which contains extensive hyperlinks to documentation):
 
-- Obama is a cosponsor of the so-called "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA, S. 1173), which Johnson calls "the most sweeping piece of pro-abortion legislation ever proposed in Congress."  The FOCA is a bill that would make partial-birth abortion legal again, strike down restrictions on taxpayer funding of abortion, and nullify virtually every state and federal law or policy that would in any way "interfere with" access to abortion, including parental notification laws.  In a letter sent to every member of Congress by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on September 19, Cardinal Justin Rigali wrote, "No one who sponsors or supports legislation like FOCA can credibly claim to be part of a good-faith discussion on how to reduce abortions.  In a speech to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund on July 17, 2007, Obama said, "The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.  That's the first thing that I'd do."
 
-- Obama advocates the nullification of state laws requiring parental notification or consent for a minor daughter's abortion, which would be one of the effects of the FOCA.  Moreover, since entering the U.S. Senate, Obama has had two opportunities to vote directly on the question of parental notification for interstate abortions on minors, and he voted "no" on both occasions.  
 
-- Obama advocates repeal of the Hyde Amendment, the law that since 1976 has blocked almost all federal funding of abortion, even though both pro-life and pro-abortion analysts agree that this law has prevented many abortions.  By even the most conservative estimate, there are more than one million Americans alive today because of the Hyde Amendment.   "Because the Hyde Amendment must be renewed annually, a new president hostile to the Hyde Amendment could quickly place it in jeopardy," Johnson observed.  The FOCA would also nullify all state laws restricting state funding of elective abortion.
 
-- In a written response to a pro-abortion advocacy group, the Obama campaign said that Obama is opposed to continuing current federal funding for "crisis pregnancy centers," which provide needed assistance to many thousands of pregnant women.
 
-- NRLC has thoroughly documented that in the Illinois state Senate, Obama led the opposition to legislation to protect babies who are born alive during abortions, and persisted in his opposition even after Congress had enacted a virtually identical federal bill without a single dissenting vote.  Obama has in numerous ways actively misrepresented the content of this legislation, and his actions on it, but even when such misrepresentations were proved by NRLC and others, the major media simply let Obama abandon them and fall back to a different set of equally misleading claims.
 
In his article, Johnson criticizes recent coverage in the "mainstream news media," which, he writes, "have, with few exceptions, been very compliant with Obama's recent efforts to downplay his hard-line pro-abortion history and policy commitments, for the purpose of winning the general election."  Typically, journalists simply describe Obama's position as "supports abortion rights," without giving details regarding his advocacy of federal funding of abortion, invalidation of parental notification laws, and the rest. 
 
Contact: None
Source: National Right to Life Committee
Source URL: www.nrlc.org  
Publish Date: October 8, 2008
Click here to view this article
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How will Abortion Advocates Respond to Yesterdays' Illinois Supreme Court Decision?

 

In the wake of the Illinois Supreme Court's decision to uphold the right of parents to be notified if their underage child seeks an abortion, the question is: How will the abortion industry react?

 

"We are disappointed by the Illinois Supreme Court's decision to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995," said Carol Brite, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois. "While we believe the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act puts the health and safety of teens at unnecessary risk, Planned Parenthood of Illinois is committed to doing everything we can to make this new process as easy as possible for teens if the law goes into effect."

 

Other abortion groups such as Personal PAC, which endorses and financially supports legislators and judges concurs. In 2012, Personal PAC endorsed 49 of the 118 Illinois House members and 32 of the 59 Illinois Senate members, as well as Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis.

 

Abortion proponents such as Planned Parenthood, Personal PAC and others could respond to Thursday's decision in various ways, including, 1.) Attempting to repeal the 1995 Parental Notification Act in the Illinois General Assembly, 2.) Appealing the Illinois Supreme Court's decision to the U.S. Supreme Court or 3.) Accepting the decision and finding ways to work around the notficiation process.

 

Given Democrat super majorities in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, and Democrat control of the Executive Branch, it would seem that option #2 might be the path of least resistance for the pro-abortion side.

 

For those unfamiliar with the legislative history, the Parental Notification Act passed the Illinois General Assembly during the only two years (1995-1996) that Republicans held the majority in both legislative chambers. Since that time, no substantial anti-abortion legislation has made its way past the Illinois House floor under the leadership of Democrat House Speaker Mike Madigan, except for the 2005 Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which was amended to specifically say it would not deter abortions in Illinois.

 

The U.S. Supreme Court has already affirmed parental notification for minors before abortion, leaving the decision whether or not to enact to individual states.

 

In the Illinois Supreme Court's statement, Justice Bob Thomas differed in one aspect of the Court's lead opinion by writing in his concurrence that he believed the 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention refused to recognize the right to abortion, a position Attorney General Lisa Madigan conceded to the ACLU.

 

In sum, I believe that delegates to the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention refused to recognize a right to abortion in drafting our 1970 constitution, and that is how I would construe our due process clause. Given the clear intent of the drafters of our 1970 constitution, I would reject the lockstep approach that the lead opinion employs in construing the language of our due process clause to mean the same as the federal due process clause on the subject of abortion. In the end, however, we are in unanimous agreement that the Illinois due process clause does not render the Parental Notification of Abortion Act of 1995 unconstitutional. I believe we also wind up in the same place in the event that Casey and Roe are ever overruled. If that were to happen, the lead opinion's approach would simply revert the meaning of our due process clause to the pre-Roe interpretation and the matter of abortion regulation (i.e., whether to regulate or prohibit it) would be left for the legislative process. Although it may seem to be an academic point, then, to conclude, as I do, that the Illinois Constitution does not contain a right to abortion, it is our solemn obligation to discern and effectuate the true intent of the drafters of our state constitution on this matter.

 

The Illinois Supreme Court's opinion is available HERE.

 

Source: Illinois Review

Pro-Life Illinois Senators Call on General Assembly to Protect Parental Rights

Last week, the women of the Senate Republican Caucus held a press conference during which they urged legislators to protect parental rights and defend the Parental Notice of Abortion (PNA) Act. Pro-abortion lawmakers have indicated that they might attempt to force through a bill repealing PNA during the final days of the fall veto session this week.

PNA requires the parents or guardians of minors to be notified 48 hours before the minor has an abortion. Parental consent is not required, and it is possible for minors to bypass the notification requirement.

Senate Republican Deputy Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris), State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy), State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro), and State Senator Sally Turner (R-Beason) each gave statements in defense of PNA.

During the press conference, Deputy Leader Rezin said,

“This is an issue about parental rights, and whether you believe it is acceptable to keep parents in the dark about a very serious healthcare decision being made by their child. As a mother of two daughters, I strongly believe it is a parent’s right to be made aware of their daughter’s health and their healthcare decisions. If parents are left in the dark, we will not be able to provide them with the support and care during one of their most difficult times in their life. That is why I intend to stand up for every parent in Illinois and fight against any attempt to erode the Parental Notice of Abortion Act.”

Sen. Tracy argued that parents' input during a situation as stressful as an unplanned pregnancy is vitally important:

“Every parent or guardian has the responsibility to provide for the physical and mental health, and safety, of their children. Most parents have had to write a note or make a phone call to their child’s school to allow basic medications like ibuprofen or aspirin to be taken at school. If we take such care in situations like that, how do we justify doing away with parental notification of abortions? A pregnant 14-year-old girl does not have the emotional maturity to deal with all the implications of her difficult decision, which could have lifelong consequences no matter what choice she makes.”

“The Majority Party wants to punish good, supportive parents who want nothing more than to be there for their young daughter during the hardest time of her life, all under the guise of protecting the abused,” said Sen. Bryant.

“There are avenues for young women to pursue if they feel unsafe with having a parent informed of their decision. Any attempt to repeal parental notification is a direct attack on parental rights. Being a mother and a grandmother, I refuse to allow Democrat lawmakers to tie the hands of parents, allowing children to undergo a serious medical procedure without the guidance and support of a parent.”

Sen. Turner pointed out that PNA not only empowers parents to be present during an important moment in their daughters' lives, but it also protects young girls from the dangers of sex trafficking. 

“Under the Parental Notice of Abortion Act, any facility conducting an abortion for a minor must notify their parent or legal guardian in advance of that procedure. Sex trafficking experts believe this notification process is a vital step in identifying potential victims who have gone under the radar. If we vote to repeal this Act, we make it easier for sexual predators and sex traffickers to abuse the children of our state.”

Click here to read more.

CALL FOR ACTION: SB 1594 passes Committee now on Senate Floor

This is the Senate's version of HB2467.

SB 1594 passed Senate Public Health Committee  with a vote of  8 to 4 and is now on the Senate Floor in Second Reading.

Contact your Senator, urge them to vote NO on SB1594.

>>> Click here to find your Senator's Contact Information. <<<

If SB 1594 becomes law it would repeal the Parental Notification of Abortion Act of 1995 which...

        -Is constitutional per the Illinois Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals 

        -Mandates notification of a parent, grandparent or legal guardian when a minor seeks an abortion
       
        -Provides a judicial waiver of notice for minors that are victims of physical or sexual abuse
       
        -Has caused a decline in minor abortions by 57% from 2013 when first enforced to 2017 according to the Illinois Department of Public Health statistics (adults declined 15%)

        -Has not triggered any reported incidents of abuse or neglect of a minor as a result of notification to the minor’s parent.

Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana and Kentucky all have parental involvement laws.  If the Parental Notification Act of 1995 is repealed Illinois will become the Midwest go-to-state for minors to obtain a secret abortion.

The Illinois Federation for Right to Life put forth a lot of time and effort and was instrumental along with other pro-life organizations in Illinois to pass Parental Notification.  This bill has saved countless lives of babies and teen girls.  Underage teens may not have all the information on making life or death decisions nor may not be aware of the effects that an abortion will have on her body or her emotional and mental state.  

We can't remove this important protection that was once approved of in Illinois.  The Moms and Dads in Illinois do not deserve to have their parental rights undermined by their government nor teens lives endangered.

Contact your Senator, urge them to vote NO on SB1594

>>> Click here to find your Senator's Contact Information. <<<

Hawaii Gov Signs Law Protecting Abortionists, Repealing Parental Notification

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D)

On March 22, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green signed legislation expanding abortion in the state by lowering the qualifications for abortionists, ending a requirement that abortions be committed in medical facilities, and repealing Hawaii's parental notification law.

The law also protects abortionists in Hawaii from extradition to other states if they broke pro-life laws in other states. Hawaii state officials are prohibited from assisting pro-life states during investigations regarding abortion crimes.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a similar protection into law at the beginning of the year. HB4664 protects abortionists in Illinois from extradition to other states if they are accused of breaking pro-life laws in those states.

Hawaii's law further allows physician assistants to commit surgical abortions during the first trimester, and it ends a requirement that abortions be committed in hospitals or abortion facilities. The latter requirement was removed to legalize DIY at-home abortions using the abortion pill regimen.

Hawaii again follows Illinois in its repeal of a parental notification law. Pritzker signed a repeal in December 2021. Parental notification requirements not only allow parents to be involved in the deeply traumatic decision of abortion, but it helps make them aware of rape and human trafficking that are otherwise hidden by the abortion industry.

Click here to read more.

Pro-Abortion Advocates Plan to Fight for Repeal of Parental Notification in 2020

Illinois State Capitol
Credit: J. Stephen Conn / Flickr

Terry Cosgrove, president of the pro-abortion political action committee Personal PAC, recently told POLITICO that repealing Illinois' parental notification law is their “biggest priority” in 2020.

The Illinois Parental Notification of Abortion Act requires abortion clinics to notify parents before performing an abortion on a patient 17 years old or younger. The act was passed in 1995, but pro-life advocates may have to fight to keep it on the books in 2020.

Illinois Right to Life Executive Director Mary Kate Knorr responded to the news from POLITICO with an explanation of why parental notification is so important.

“This is purely predatory behavior by Terry Cosgrove and Planned Parenthood of Illinois,” said Knorr. “They are preying on minor girls and strategically forcing parents out of the conversation to cash in on their vulnerability.”

“This is a direct attack on the rights of parents – not just across the state, but across the Midwest. Repealing this law does not protect girls in crisis; on the contrary, it protects their abusers and traffickers by opening the door for coercion and forced abortions.”

Click here to read more.

Illinois Abortionist with History of Harming Patients Argues for Repeal of Parental Notification

Family Planning Associates abortion clinic in Chicago
photo credit: Operation Rescue

Last month, Chicago abortionist Dr. Allison Cowett wrote an op-ed for the Chicago Sun-Times to argue for the repeal of the Parental Notice of Abortion Act. The article, written by an abortionist whose practice has caused the deaths of at least four young women, causes the notification law "dangerous." In truth, repealing the law and the practice of abortion, in general, is dangerous.

Dr. Cowett is the medical director of Family Planning Associates (FPA). The FPA-owned Albany Medical Surgical Center in Chicago is a prime example of the dangers of abortion. The facility was closed after it repeatedly failed safety inspections and caused the deaths of 13-year-old Deanna Bell, 22-year-old Maria Rodriquez, 26-year-old Maria Leho, and 16-year-old Nakia Jorden. Before then, Illinois failed to inspect the facility for 18 consecutive years. Another Chicago FPA facility hospitalized a patient as recently as New Year's Eve.

Cowett's personal record is not much better. 10 abortion patients have filed medical malpractice claims against her, and one of her patients was sent to the hospital in critical condition last April.

In her op-ed arguing for the repeal of Illinois' parental notification law, Dr. Cowett wrote,

"Most of the young women in my practice involve a parent or trusted adult in their abortion decision. And the younger the teen, the more likely she is to involve an adult. These facts are true in my office and throughout Illinois. Those who do not involve an adult do so with good reason — often because they are survivors of abuse or neglect. Some fear for their safety or the loss of shelter and food if their parents discover their pregnancy or their abortion decision. Others believe they will be forced to continue a pregnancy they did not plan and do not want."

Dr. Cowett's argument implies that minors living in abusive households should stay there rather than seek help, and it fails to inform readers that Illinois only requires parents to be informed of their daughter's decision. Parental consent is not required.

The Parental Notice of Abortion Act is good not only because it allows parents to be involved in the life-ending decision of abortion, but also because it helps to expose rape and abuse when it causes teenage pregnancies. Even minors who go through the judicial bypass system and speak with a judge so that they can avoid parental notification bring these details to light. Girls who are pressured and afraid might simply have an abortion rather than let anybody know what has happened to them.

Click here to read more.

Update on the Illinois FOCA bill (HB 2354)

The newly amended draft for Illinois HB2354 - The Reproductive Health and Access bill, has now been posted on the General Assembly website, and it hasn't changed very much.  The bill still seeks to:

1)  Make abortion a fundamental right preventing any common sense regulation, including parental notification for minors seeking abortions
2)  Allow partial birth abortions
3)  Expand public funding of abortion through medicaid and possibly state health insurance plans
4)  Mandate a program of comprehensive sex education in every public school.  (The bill stipulates that the course material and instruction must be free of bias in regards to gender identity and sexual orientation.  They are now allowing parents to opt out of this instruction, but how many parents will be informed enough to opt out?  What impact will such instruction to the majority of our public school students have on the moral fabric of our society?)
5)  Significantly weaken the Illinois Health Care Conscience Act by requiring the provision of information and referrals for abortion.
 
Obviously they did not hear our concerns loud enough.  They will attempt to convince legislators that the amendment makes enough changes to deserve their support.  Please call and email your Illinois State Representative as soon as possible to let them know that you are still opposed to this bill, and that you would still like them to vote against the bill.
 
April 3rd (this Friday) is the deadline for this bill's passage in the House (although they can always override those restrictions if it's a popular bill), so there will be a real push to pass this before the deadline.  Please pass this on to all who will help protect our children, our families, and our society from the ramifications of this bill.
 
Thanks for all you do.  Your calls and emails created enough pressure to prevent the bill from passing so far.  Please keep up the great work!

Click here to get information to contact your Representative

Click here for more information

You can also read the full text of the new amendment for the bill by going to www.ilga.gov and then click on "bills and resolutions"  On the next page, click on the bill number (HB2354) and then click on "House Amendment 002" at the top of the page.  This will also give you updates on the status of the bill.

Talking Points

SECTION 15:  On forbidding the State or any municipality, political subdivision, or government agency to deny or interfere with a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy HB 2354:

    * creates a fundamental right to abortion which entails a great range of consequences, some unknown, except that all provisions of the Act are to be "liberally construed";
    * prevents any state regulation of abortion, including those upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in Casey v. Planned Parenthood (1992), including waiting periods, informed consent and parental notification.
    * Thirty years ago, we were told abortion would be a rare but necessary tragedy; today, we are being told abortion is a human right and those who attempt to regulate it in any manner or who will not provide it should be legally punished.

SECTION 35:  On rights of conscience, HB 2354:

    * Significantly weakens the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act, which ensures healthcare professionals do not have to obtain, receive, accept, deliver, pay for, or arrange for medical care that is contrary to their conscience;
    * requires health care professionals to provide prior notice to patients of their moral and religious beliefs;
    * coerces health care professionals to materially cooperate in the procedures or services they morally object to by requiring they or someone in their employ provide "timely and accurate information and referral";
    * mandates every healthcare facility in the state, including Catholic hospitals, to employ someone to provide "timely and accurate information and referral" for abortion.
 
SECTION 15:  On Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act:

    * Illinois' Parental Notice of Abortion Act has been tied up in the courts for over ten years, despite the Illinois Supreme Court issuing rules for the judicial bypass in October 2006;
    * The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to make a new ruling on the statute, possibly lifting the injunction, within weeks;
    * The enactment of HB 2354 would invalidate Illinois' parental notification statute by prohibiting the state from any "interference" with the "right" to abortion and again using the language "Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act or any other law to  the contrary."
    * As of the end of 2008, 35 states, and every Midwestern state other than Illinois, have implemented a parental consent or notification of abortion law.
 
SECTION 20:  On public funding of abortion, HB 2354:

    * requires state Medicaid assistance to cover the costs of abortion in all instances.
    * In fiscal year 1977/78, before Illinois had any restrictions on state Medicaid funding of abortion, 12,738 abortions were paid for with public money.
    * In fiscal year 1981/82, after the federal Hyde amendment and Illinois law restricting government funding of abortion were upheld in court, the number of abortions paid for with public money dropped to 22.
    * In 1990 a Cook County Circuit Court judge expanded the cases in which Medicaid funding could be used for abortion, and since then public money has been used to fund several hundred abortions every year.
    * If House Bill 2354 were enacted, any regulation of Medicaid funding of abortion would be invalidated, and Illinois would likely return to funding thousands of abortions every year.
    * House Bill 2354's requirement that any "State medical assistance" provide financial assistance for reproductive healthcare may be interpreted to require state health insurance to cover abortion.

SECTION 30:  On comprehensive sex education, HB 2354:

    * mandates comprehensive sex education in grades K-12 by amending the statutorily defined Comprehensive Health Education Program (which is mandated K-12);
    * wrests local control from parents and local school boards on the best approaches to sex education in their communities.

Conclusion

In 2007, the most recent year the Illinois Department of Public Health has complied statistics, there were 45,298 abortions in Illinois.  In Illinois, the sad fact is that anyone can procure an abortion for any reason at any stage of pregnancy.  Many people of good will have had to accept the fact our laws do not protect unborn human life.  Still, it's not enough.  Now, we are told there should never be regulation of the taking of those lives nor conscientious objection among health-care workers allowed. 

House Bill 2354 is a radical effort to codify a fundamental right to abortion and ensure all conscientious objections are swept aside, politically and in the health care profession.  

Please vote NO.

Click here to get information to contact your Representative

Please also visit http://StopIllinoisFOCA.com for more information.