Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed sweeping abortion protections into law on Wednesday, establishing women’s access to the procedure as a “fundamental right” and putting Illinois at odds with Republican-led states that have been embracing steep abortion restrictions. </s> Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed a bill to expand abortion protections in Illinois, a move that comes while some Republican-led states try to restrict the procedure.

The law establishes abortion as a "fundamental right" for women. Pritzker, a Democrat, signed the bill Wednesday, surrounded by advocates. He says Illinois is taking a "giant step forward" while other states are taking a step backward.

The measure rescinds decades-old regulations on abortion that had been suspended by judges. It also requires insurance coverage for abortions, contraception and related medical care.

Supporters say the legislation would put existing practice into law. Republicans strongly objected.

At least six states have adopted steep restrictions or bans on abortion. </s> Gov. J.B. Pritzker is scheduled to sign into law Wednesday morning sweeping new abortion rights legislation, establishing the procedure as a “fundamental right” for women in Illinois.

Illinois lawmakers approved the legislation amid an increased sense of urgency among advocates looking to protect abortion access as a series of states recently passed laws essentially banning the practice.

“I believe, frankly, there’s a war against women’s rights going on,” Sen. Melinda Bush, the Grayslake Democrat who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said at the time.

The bill establishes the “fundamental right” of a woman to have an abortion and states that a “fertilized egg, embryo or fetus does not have independent rights.” It repeals the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975, doing away with provisions for spousal consent, waiting periods, criminal penalties for physicians who perform abortions and other restrictions on facilities where abortions are performed.

State lawmakers approved the measure on their last scheduled day of the General Assembly’s spring session, before heading into legislative overtime to handle other high profile bills such as casino gambling expansion and a $45 billion capital projects package.

Pritzker is scheduled to sign it at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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How Illinois' new law compares with what other states are doing » </s> Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker drew enthusiastic whoops and cheers from the crowd Wednesday at a festive ceremony that saw him sign a bill creating a “fundamental right” to abortion and clearing the way for late-term procedures.

The Democratic governor was interrupted frequently by hoots and applause as he spoke to the crowd prior to signing the Reproductive Health Act at the Chicago Cultural Center, featuring signs from the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.

He was surrounded by state legislators as he signed the bill with multiple pens, which were passed around to supporters, and received hugs afterward as the crowd applauded, as shown on live video by ABC7 in Chicago.

“Let the word go forth today from this place, that if you believe in standing up for women’s fundamental rights, Illinois is a beacon of hope in the heart of this nation,” Mr. Pritzker said. “We trust women.”

The Reproductive Health Act repeals the Illinois Abortion Act of 1975 and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, removing criminal penalties for doctors who perform the procedures and allowing abortions at any point during pregnancy to protect “the health of the patient.”

The measure, Senate Bill 25, also requires insurance coverage for elective abortion and expands coverage for contraception.

The Illinois bill illustrated the divide between red-state legislatures passing laws to narrow abortion access and blue states seeking to “codify” the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision against the high court’s newly minted 5-4 conservative majority.

“The Reproductive Health Act ensures that women’s rights in Illinois do not hinge on the fate of Roe v. Wade or the whims of an increasingly conservative supreme court in Washington,” Mr. Pritzker said. “In this state, women will always have the right to reproductive health care.”

The mood was far more somber at a press conference held afterward by Illinois pro-life activists, who said the bill also puts at risk the state’s parental-notice law and state inspections of abortion clinics.

“Under this law, every single one of my patients could be legally killed in utero in our state. What does this say about this law? What does that say our politicians? What does that say about our leaders?” said Emily Kelly, who identified herself as a neo-natal nurse at a large hospital.

March for Life tweeted that the Illinois bill was “abortion extremism at its worst,” while other pro-life supporters said the measure went “way beyond Roe.”

Jennifer Welch, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, said at the signing ceremony that “we are in the fight of our lives.”

“No other health care is as scrutinized and as stigmatized as abortion,” Ms. Welch said. “The RHA is an important step to remove the stigma surrounding a simple procedure that one in four women will have in their lifetime.”

Mr. Pritzker’s public signing celebration came in stark contrast to the approach of Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a pro-choice Republican who signed a far-reaching abortion law Monday in private, issuing a brief statement afterward.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo drew a backlash in January after signing a “codify Roe” bill accompanied by cheers and applause, after which One World Trade Center was lit up in pink lights.

Elected in November, Mr. Pritzker promised to make Illinois the most progressive state on “protecting reproductive rights.”

“With the signing of the Reproductive Health Act, I’m keeping that promise,” he said. </s> CHICAGO (WLS) -- Governor JB Pritzker signed the Reproductive Health Act into law Wednesday morning, officially expanding abortion rights in Illinois.With much fanfare, Gov. Pritzker brought his wife MK as he signed what is being called the most progressive abortion protection bill in the country."Today, we proudly claim in this state, we trust women," Gov. Pritzker said.Illinois' Reproductive Health Act establishes the fundamental right of a woman to have an abortion. It repeals a 1975 state law that placed restrictions such as waiting periods and criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions. However, many of those provisions were never enforced because of court injunctions. But, with recent abortion bans in other states and threat of federal one, lawmakers wanted to make sure abortion remained a choice in Illinois.While pro-life advocates call the legislation extreme, Gov. Pritzker said it makes sure abortion remains an option in Illinois during a time when many starts are banning it."The Reproductive Health Act ensures that women's rights in Illinois do not hinge on the fate of Roe V. Wade or the whims of an increasingly conservative Supreme Court," Gov. Pritzker said."As the pro-life people in Illinois, we will not be silent, we will move forward," said Mary Kate Knorr, executive director at Illinois Right to Life Action.Pro-life advocates call the new law extreme and barbaric."What happened today was the legalized killing of viable preemie babies in utero," said Peter Breen, of the Thomas More Society.Because the new law wipes out certain restrictions, pro-life advocates frame that act as a late-term abortion bill, which co-sponsor State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) said is not true.'We have a viability standard in the law, and federal law with regard to abortion late in pregnancy reigns supreme, so there is nothing in the law that would make that scenario possible," State Rep. Cassidy said.For State Rep. Cassidy, the bill signing is personal. Before becoming a mother of three, Cassidy had an abortion which she said saved her life and her fertility.Pro-choice advocates said their next fight is repealing Illinois' parental notice law. </s> Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the Reproductive Health Act into law with bill sponsors Illinois State Senator Melinda Bush, left, and Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, right, at the Chicago Cultural Center on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. The law establishes "the fundamental right" of a pregnant woman to have an abortion and states that "a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights." (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune via AP)

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed sweeping protections for abortion on Wednesday in a new law that establishes access to the procedure as a "fundamental right" for women.

The move in the state where Democrats control the House, Senate and governor's office comes as several Republican-majority states have taken up steep restrictions or bans on abortion.

"In a time when too many states across the nation are taking a step backward, Illinois is taking a giant step forward for women's health," Pritzker said at the bill signing in Chicago, surrounded by abortion-rights advocates from Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. "In this state, we trust women."

The new law voids decades-old abortion regulations on the books that had never taken effect because of court orders. For instance, it lifts restrictions on late-term abortions and ends criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions. It also requires insurance coverage for abortions, contraception and related medical care.

Supporters argued the plan simply puts existing practice into law — something they say has become more urgent as prohibitions on abortion in other states could lead to overturning the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized the procedure nationwide. Abortion-rights supporters in Illinois said they planned to continue pushing for expanded access, including attempting to remove a parental notification requirement. Vermont and Maine have recently approved abortion protections.

Republicans strongly objected to the Illinois measure, calling it an "extreme expansion." Their concerns included an increase in late-term abortions.

"Illinois is now one of the most radical states for abortion access," state Rep. Avery Bourne, a Raymond Republican, said in a statement Wednesday.

The Thomas More Society, a Christian advocacy group based in Chicago, said the law will make Illinois an "abortion destination for the country." The group said it will fight any efforts to outlaw parental notification.

More than half a dozen states have adopted steep restrictions on abortion, including a near-total ban signed into law in Alabama last month.

Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio have enacted laws prohibiting abortion once there's a detectable fetal heartbeat, which could be as early as the sixth week of pregnancy. Missouri passed an eight-week ban, with few exceptions.

None of the bans has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges </s> The governor of the US state of Illinois on Wednesday enacted a law establishing a “fundamental right” to abortion and removing old laws that criminalized the procedure.

The Illinois law was passed in response to a wave of bans and restrictions approved in other states, and Governor JB Pritzker hailed it as “a beacon of hope in the heart of this nation.”

The law repeals criminal penalties on abortion providers, codifying what had already been de facto law through court rulings.

The measure also requires private health insurance companies in the state to cover abortion procedures.

“We are building a firewall around Illinois to protect reproductive access for everyone,” state representative Kelly Cassidy, one of the law’s chief sponsors said.

Pritzker, a Democrat, said the added legal protections are necessary in the event that the US Supreme Court rules in the future to impose new abortion limits.

“Those opposed to women’s reproductive rights are emboldened,” the governor said, “And their hopeful eyes are on the highest court in the land.”

It comes as more conservative US states have enacted restrictions on abortion as part of a strategy to push the issue to the Supreme Court.

The top court upheld women’s right to abortion in its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, but anti-abortion forces hope to overturn it now that the court’s conservative majority has been strengthened with the addition of two justices appointed by President Donald Trump.

Alabama approved a near complete abortion ban in May, and six other states have tightened abortion access in recent months, making the procedure illegal when fetal heartbeat is detected — usually around the six-week mark, when many women are not aware they are pregnant.

Pritzker said Illinois would be willing to accept “refugees from other states” where women might be denied abortion access.

In neighboring Missouri, for example, the fate of the last remaining abortion clinic is in the hands of a judge who is considering whether to allow it to continue operating. </s> Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed a bill that makes abortion a “fundamental right” for women in Illinois.

“In a time when too many states across the nation are taking a step backward, Illinois is taking a giant step forward for women’s health,” Pritzker said on Wednesday at the Chicago Cultural Center before signing the bill. “Today, we proudly proclaim that in this state, we trust women.”

Chicagotribune.com reports: Entitled the Reproductive Health Act, the law repeals the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975. It eliminates felony penalties for doctors that perform abortions, removes waiting periods and removes the requirement that a married woman get consent from her husband.

The bill establishes the “fundamental right” of a woman to have an abortion and states that a “fertilized egg, embryo or fetus does not have independent rights.” The law also requires that the cost of an abortion be treated like any other medical procedure for insurance purposes.

Illinois lawmakers approved the legislation in the recently ended spring session amid an increased sense of urgency among advocates looking to protect abortion access as a series of states recently passed laws essentially banning the practice.

Pritzker has said the law makes the state the most progressive in the nation for reproductive health care.

“I promised that Illinois would become a national leader in protecting reproductive rights,” Pritzker said. “Illinois is demonstrating what it means to affirm the rights of individuals to make the most personal and fundamental decisions of their lives no matter their income level, no matter their race, ethnicity or religion. … This law puts the decision making where it belongs — in the hands of women and their doctors.”

Pritzker’s news conference was marked by whoops, cheers and hugs, but a much more somber mood prevailed on the ground floor of the cultural center, where abortion opponents gathered to issue their response.

“We’re already the bankruptcy capital and the corruption capital, now we add abortion to that list,” said Peter Breen, a former state representative who is now vice president of the Thomas More Society, a religious advocacy nonprofit group.

Breen called the law “a new death penalty,” and said it removes necessary regulations and licensing requirements and eliminates the rights of unborn children.

“We in Illinois have a history, including in recent years, of filthy, dirty abortion clinics being shut down based on inspections done by the state of Illinois,” Breen said. “As of today, the statutory sections that supported those shutdowns have been wiped off the books … parental notice has now been put at risk. We are looking forward to trying to defend that in court.”

Across the country, states have been passing laws that limit the use of private and public insurance to pay for abortion and instituting long wait periods to discourage women from getting the procedure. Six states have only one abortion clinic, so it requires women to travel long distances if they want to terminate a pregnancy.

Among the states limiting access to abortion is Missouri, making the state’s border with Illinois a front line in the national abortion rights battle. It took court action to keep the state’s one operating abortion clinic in St. Louis open.

Mary Kate Knorr, spokeswoman for Illinois Right to Life Action, called the Illinois law an extreme action and said “we anticipate that the daily rate of abortions in Illinois will increase.

“We also anticipate that the rate of injury to women as the result of negligent clinics will increase. We suspect more clinics will open and more dollars will be made by the abortion industry which capitalizes on our loose laws.”

A number of the measures in the current Illinois abortion law are not enforced because of court injunctions. But proponents argued that several court cases that are in the pipeline to the Supreme Court could provide a path to overturning the landmark 46-year-old Roe v. Wade case, which legalized abortion nationwide.

Pritzker said the bill he signed Wednesday is a preventive measure that “ensures that women’s rights do not hinge on the fate of Roe v. Wade, or the whims of an increasingly conservative supreme court in Washington.”

State Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, was a sponsor of the bill and among those who spoke at Wednesday’s signing.

“There is a war against women, a war against bodily autonomy,” Cassidy said “Our opponents are using hateful, untrue and outright misogynistic rhetoric which escalates daily and endangers women everywhere.

“We are building a firewall around Illinois to protect access,” she said.

Cassidy introduced Sen. Melinda Bush, a Democrat from Grayslake, who was a sponsor of the bill in that chamber, as “my sister in badassery.”

“When you elect women that are here to make a difference, that’s what they do and that’s what they did. I want to be clear: the freshmen women in the house, they really did move this bill,” Bush said. “Without their help, without their commitment, without them saying, ‘not on our watch … we ran when a president ran and told us it was OK to grab our body parts. And we’re saying no more.’ So I just want to thank them so much.”

At a news conference held by opponents of the bill, both Knorr and Breen stood surrounded by supporters who carried signs, some with babies and young children.

Emily Kelly, a neonatal ICU nurse at a Chicago hospital, said too many women don’t know how early an unborn fetus can survive outside of its mother’s womb.

“I, myself, was born at 32 weeks gestation, about two months before my projected due date. I was on a ventilator for numerous days, I couldn’t breastfeed due to my lungs being underdeveloped,” she said. “My parents fought for my life. The doctors and nurses that care for me fought for my life. And in my own way, I fought for my life.

“I’m a woman against abortion. That does not make me a woman against women. On the contrary, it makes me a woman who cares for women,” she said. “I tell them the truth about what’s growing inside them. This growing fetus is a baby, a living member of our human family.”

Illinois has more abortion clinics based on population than most of its Midwest neighbors. Jennifer Welch, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, called the new law “an important step to remove the stigma around a simple medical procedure that one in four women in the United States will have in their lifetime.” </s> - Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed sweeping abortion protections into law on Wednesday, establishing women's access to the procedure as a "fundamental right" and putting Illinois at odds with Republican-led states that have been embracing steep abortion restrictions.

The new Illinois law voids decades-old abortion regulations that were on the books but had never taken effect because of court orders, including restrictions on late-term abortions and criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions. It also requires insurance coverage for abortions, contraception and related medical care.

"In a time when too many states across the nation are taking a step backward, Illinois is taking a giant step forward for women's health. In this state, we trust women," the Democratic governor said at a bill signing ceremony in Chicago. He was surrounded by abortion-rights advocates from Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.

Supporters said the plan, which took effect immediately, simply puts existing practice into law, which they argue has become more urgent because of the conservative shift on the U.S. Supreme Court and the prohibitions on abortion in other states that could lead to the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide. They said they planned to continue pushing for expanded access, including attempting to remove a parental notification requirement. Vermont and Maine have recently approved abortion protections.

Republicans, who are in the minority in the Illinois Legislature, strongly objected to the measure, calling it an "extreme expansion." Their concerns included an increase in late-term abortions.

"Illinois is now one of the most radical states for abortion access," state Rep. Avery Bourne, a Raymond Republican, said in a statement.

The Thomas More Society, a Christian advocacy group based in Chicago, said the law will make Illinois an "abortion destination for the country." The group said it will fight any efforts to outlaw parental notification.

More than half a dozen states have adopted steep restrictions on abortion, including a near-total ban signed into law in Alabama last month.

Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio have enacted laws prohibiting abortion once there's a detectable fetal heartbeat, which could be as early as the sixth week of pregnancy. Missouri passed an eight-week ban, with few exceptions.

None of the bans has taken effect and all are expected to face legal challenges.

Overall, the number of abortions performed in the U.S. has declined, with historically low rates reported in 2014. Illinois has mirrored national trends. Approximately 39,000 abortions were performed in the state in 2017, the latest statistics available. A decade earlier, there were more than 45,000, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker signs abortion rights law making the procedure a "fundamental right" for pregnant individuals in the state.