by Fran Eaton
Got notice of AG Lisa Madigan's move to request a federal judge lift the 10-year pause on enacting the parental notfication law last night when Sun Times' reporter Scott Fornek emailed me, looking for a response.
Scott left a voice mail, apologizing for not giving more time to get back to him for a quote, but said they all learned of this late on Friday, and were scrambling to get the story in before deadline.
Hmmm....I thought. Brilliant strategy, Lisa. You finally decide to set into motion something you had no choice to do. Tough for a "pro-choice" woman to do the right thing, and push for enactment of a law that has set dormant for over ten years. Now 12 year olds will need to tell their parents (or, sadly, grandparents) if they intend to have a medical procedure with far-reaching physical and psychological implications. A no brainer.
This is a bittersweet development for the prolife movement in Illinois.
First, the AG made the move official when media impact would be minimal . . . following the example of Bill Clinton when in the middle of the night he signed the federal Defense of Marriage Act into law. The right thing to do, but done at a time that would tick off the fewest in her or his political base.
Second, she didn't stipulate a time line for actual enactment. The AG asked that time be allowed to set up the procedure for judicial bypass, the big bugaboo the Supreme Court refused to draw up for the past decade and kept the law from being enforced.
Third, if it wasn't for the leadership of Supreme Court justice Bob Thomas, the law would still be sitting dormant. Thomas was the one whose staff drew up the rules and set this protection for minor girls into action. It wasn't Lisa Madigan who asked for this, it was placed on her desk by Thomas.
Fourth, this isn't over. As Planned Parenthood and the ACLU clearly stated, a bill has already been introduced that would effectively remove any adult close to the situation from being notified (and note, this is not consent, but mere notification). The new bill may be voted upon and signed into law by the Governor before Illinois finally begins to force this long-awaited parental notification law.
All in an attempt to protect our daughters . . . and our granddaughters. As if it was controversial or freedom-robbing to protect our children from harm. . .