CHICAGO – At the national abortion providers' annual fundraiser Wednesday night, Governor Bruce Rauner's wife Diana publicly promised to do all the Rauners can to keep Planned Parenthood providing "essential services."
Mrs. Rauner was honored for the couples' "decades of support," including a recent $50,000 donation. In a 5 min video placed on YouTube by Politico's Natasha Korecki, the First Lady was welcomed with polite applause as she honored Helen Zell for her generosity for 35 years to Planned Parenthood.
"…Bruce and I have supported Planned Parenthood for decades and we are both committed to ensuring that Planned Parenthood can continue to provide essential services throughout the state," Mrs. Rauner said.
The governor is in an awkward situation since promising to veto a bill that passed the Illinois House this week that would force Illinois taxpayers to fund abortions for state employees and women on Medicaid. HB 40 would reverse a moral position the state has held since abortion was legalized in 1973, and would remove Illinois statute language confirming the personhood of pre-born babies.
Planned Parenthood is under attack nationally, as undercover videos of conversations with Planned Parenthood executives in other states revealed alleged gruesome practices of providing body parts of the aborted babies for medical research.
