CHICAGO – A bipartisan coalition of parents and parents’ rights groups are demanding that Illinois lawmakers reinstate the broadly supported Parental Notice of Abortion law they repealed last year.
The law’s repeal puts young girls at the mercy of human traffickers and other sexual predators—as evidenced by the recent criminal case of a Chicago Public School dean who impregnated a CPS student twice and himself took her to the abortion clinic both times.
Despite bipartisan legislative opposition, Governor Pritzker signed the repeal legislation, denying parents the right to be involved in the healthcare decisions of their minor daughters. The repeal finalized earlier this summer.
“Minor girls must have their parents’ consent before getting their ears pierced, go on a school field trip, or even get an aspirin at school,” said Amy Gehrke, Executive Director of Illinois Right to Life Action. “Because of the repeal of Parental Notice, the only people who will know about a minor girls’ abortion is the abortionist and those who will benefit from the abortion, like sexual predators.”
“Clearly the profits of the abortion industry meant more to Governor Pritzker and his legislative allies than the safety of our young girls.” said Gehrke.
Eileen Roberts, president of Parents for Life, had a teenaged daughter who had an abortion without her knowledge. It was an incomplete abortion, and her daughter suffered grave physical and emotional damage.
“We hear horror stories about incest and rape, but if the victim gets a secret abortion without her parent’s knowledge, she’ll just be sent back home to the abuser,” Roberts said. “Illinois’ repealed law had a judicial bypass provision, and a responsible adult was there to step in and assist the victim. Without any safeguards, however, abusers and predators will take their victims to a clinic without any paper trail, and the abuse will continue.”
“There was bipartisan opposition to the repeal of this law. Lawmakers need to bring it back before more young girls get hurt,” said State Representative Tom Morrison (Palatine IL 54th District).
