Illinois lawmakers aim to repeal parental notification for minors' abortions

Springfield, Ill., Jul 8, 2019 / 08:10 am

Illinois lawmakers have announced their intention to repeal the state's parental notification law for abortions for minors. The move follows the enactment of a state law recognizing a "fundamental right" to abortion in the state.

"I'm going to try to get this repeal bill done in veto session if we can. If not, I'm certainly going to go back at it in January," Rep Emanuel Welch (D) said of his bill, House Bill 2467, as reported by Capitol News Illinois.

Rep. Welch's legislation, along with Illinois Senate Bill 1594, introduced by state Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D), would repeal the state's parental notification law that was enacted in 1995 and implemented in 2013 after a lengthy court battle.

That law requires that abortion providers notify the parents of a minor seeking an abortion at least 48 hours before the scheduled abortion, except in certain cases where the minor could not notify a family member.

ACLU of Illinois, along with other abortion advocates, praised the repeal bill when it was approved by the Public Health Committee in the State Senate in March, saying that the state should not be legislating "family communications" that "flow from trust and shared values among family members."

"We need to trust youth in our state to make the health care decisions, without forcing them to risk their health and safety," ACLU of Illinois stated.

Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, in an interview with CNA in June at the U.S. bishops' annual spring meeting, warned that after the state legislature passed the Reproductive Health Act, more pro-abortion legislation would be coming including a rollback of parental notifications.

The bishop said that once abortion is recognized as a "fundamental right," then the question will be asked "how do you deny somebody's fundamental right?"

He also warned that a possible denial of protections for religious health providers who conscientiously object to providing abortions could be in the works. Conscience protections were added to the state's abortion law shortly before its passage in the legislature, but the bishop said they were "fragile" because of the law recognizing a right to abortion.