June, 2022 —- (CHICAGO)
The following statement may be attributed to Amy Gehrke, Executive Director of Illinois Right to Life:
Today, Illinois Right to Life joins millions of Americans in celebrating the end of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that has denied over 63 million preborn children their most fundamental right: life. With today’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, states have regained the ability to protect preborn children and their mothers.
Now, with today’s decision, pro-life citizens must work harder than ever to defend life in Illinois. The ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health is an incredible victory for our nation but here in Illinois, the work of pro-life advocates is just beginning. With the fundamental holdings of Roe v. Wade now struck down by the High Court, Illinois will soon be home to the nearest abortion provider for as many as 8.9 million reproductive-aged women from outside our state (Guttmacher Institute). It is very likely that Illinois’s abortion rate could increase by 20,000 – 30,000 annually.
Illinois Right to Life will continue working tirelessly to provide support to pregnancy resource centers across our state through our Project Love grant program. Since 1994, Project Love has awarded over half a million dollars in grants to help pregnant women and young families facing urgent financial crises choose life. We will also redouble our work to educate the people of Illinois about how radical our abortion laws are, the brutal realities of abortion, and the need to provide women with life-affirming alternatives to abortion.
Governor J.B. Pritzker has promised to make Illinois a “beacon of hope” for women when, in fact, he is making our state a haven for death. Abortion, which is always deadly to preborn children, is also incredibly dangerous for women and young girls in Illinois. Thanks to the 2019 Reproductive Health Act, abortion clinics regulate themselves and are not subject to state health inspections. In addition, coroners are not required to investigate women’s deaths at Illinois abortion clinics. Minor girls can obtain abortions without clinics even notifying a parent or guardian.
Our goal at Illinois Right to Life remains the same: To utilize education and support for women and young families to win Illinois for life.
Illinois Right to Life is the state’s oldest and largest pro-life organization. We seek to protect humans threatened by abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia through education and direct aid.
###