Dear Amy,
I live in southeast Wisconsin but follow the abortion issue in Illinois since we are so close to the border. I recently heard that your parental notice of abortion law was repealed. What does that mean for minor girls in other states?
–Alison in Pleasant Prairie, WI
Hi Allison,
You are correct. Tragically, in a late-night vote at the end of Illinois’s October veto session, abortion advocates were able to “buy” enough votes to repeal Parental Notice of Abortion (PNA). While Governor Pritzker has not yet signed this repeal into law, we fully expect him to in the near future.
Parental Notice of Abortion simply required abortion providers to notify parents or other designated guardians 48 hours before a minor girl had an abortion. PNA was a commonsense and very popular law. 72 percent of Illinois voters supported PNA, including 55 percent who identified as “pro-choice,”
The repeal of PNA completely usurps the rights of parents to be involved in their children’s health care and makes it even easier for sexual predators as well as human traffickers to cover their crimes with abortion. This is true not only for minor girls and their parents in Illinois, but for minor girls and their parents in Illinois’s neighboring states — and beyond.
Any minor girls can be brought across state lines to Illinois for an abortion without their parents’ knowledge. Even worse, because Illinois’s Medicare proof of eligibility is so lax, these girls can receive abortions free of charge, paid for by Illinois taxpayers.
While it is wonderful that Illinois’s neighboring states have passed protective, pro-life laws, Illinois’s radical, pro-abortion laws render them much less effective. Illinois Right to Life will be embarking on a campaign to raise awareness in our neighboring states. Later in 2022, we will be holding several “Days of Action” that will be the first steps in winning Illinois back for life.
In the meantime, please alert your friends and neighbors to the danger that exists in Illinois!
-Amy