On June 24, Gov. Pritzker's office responded to the decision by putting out three separate press releases. All of them affirmed the governor's stance that abortion is necessary health care rather than a violent act toward an innocent child. He accused pro-life advocates of causing the deaths of women who attempt illegal abortions, touted his pro-abortion policies, and announced plans to further encourage abortion through new legislation in an upcoming special session.
"Let me make this explicit and clear to women throughout our state, the Midwest, and our nation: Illinois will be a safe haven for the exercise of your reproductive rights," Pritzker said. "In Illinois, Roe v. Wade is still the law, and it will remain the law as long as we have a pro-choice legislature and a pro-choice governor. Here, we trust you to make your own decisions about your reproductive health. We will defend your right to bodily autonomy."
"To that end, I am informing the General Assembly that I will be calling them into special session in the coming weeks to more firmly protect women’s reproductive rights in Illinois and address the challenges posed by this radical Supreme Court decision. I’m grateful to have the support and partnership of House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon in this effort. Together, the Democratic leadership in Illinois is committed to taking swift action to further enshrine our commitment to reproductive healthcare."
At the time of writing, it has not been announced what legislation the General Assembly will consider during the special session. The IFRL will let our readers know about pro-abortion legislation. To stay up-to-date, subscribe to our newsletter by entering your name and email in the blue box on the right side of this webpage. You will need to be on the desktop version of the website to do so. If you are on mobile, tap "view web version" near the bottom of the screen.
