Today, the Illinois House voted to pass HB 40.
This is the bill that provides free abortions to those on Medicaid and state employees for any reason, including birth control. Where is the state going to get the money to pay for this?
From you and me – taxpayers.
We’re deeply disappointed that the leaders of the Illinois House find it more important to focus on increasing the number of abortions in Illinois rather than fixing our state’s debt crisis.
On April 14th, Governor Bruce Rauner publicly stated he would veto HB40 should it reach his desk. According to the Chicago Tribune,
“‘Gov. Rauner is committed to protecting women’s reproductive rights under current Illinois law. However, recognizing the sharp divisions of opinion of taxpayer funding of abortion, he does not support’ the pending legislation, spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis said.”
Last week, our executive director, Emily Troscinski, was quoted in news publications, such as the Chicago Tribune, thanking the Governor for his firm stance against HB40. We are very grateful for Governor Rauner’s strong position against HB40 despite his pro-choice views.
Now it’s your turn. We need you to call Governor Rauner’s office and thank him for his promise to veto HB 40 once it reaches his desk. You can call his office right now at: 217-782-0244.
We know it is discouraging to see such an extreme and out of touch pro-abortion bill pass. But our pro-life lobbyist, Ralph Rivera, told us how the debate on this bill went on for two hours today. During those two hours, approximately 10 of our pro-life legislators stood and passionately defended the unborn speaking out against the bill.
This was a fantastic testament to how hard these Representatives have worked to try and stop this bill. In the end, the bill passed with 62 votes. Every Republican state representative voted against the bill, as well as 5 pro-life Democrats.
You can see the vote tally here.
We’re thankful that our Governor is putting his foot down, vetoing this bill, and sending the legislators back to work on fixing our state.
If you have an extra minute, after you call Governor Rauner and thank him, please call your state senator and tell him to vote no on HB40. HB40 now must pass the Illinois Senate, we expect it to do so easily. However, while pro-abortion legislators control the Senate, it’s important for them to hear from you. You can find your state senator here.