It would be a grave mistake for Illinois to eliminate parental notification of abortion
Currently, the law of the State of Illinois requires that when a minor girl seeks to have an abortion a parent or guardian must be notified 48 hours before the procedure.
This is a common-sense law that enjoys wide support among residents who fall on both sides of the abortion debate, and for obvious reasons: most reasonable people agree that parents have a right to know if irreversible surgery is going to be performed on their minor daughters.
But now, the Illinois General Assembly is considering two bills, House Bill 1797 and Senate Bill 2190, that, if enacted as law, would repeal our Parental Notification of Abortion Act, allowing an abortion provider to perform an abortion on a minor without her parents’ knowledge.
Enacting such a law would undermine families by separating children from the care, guidance and emotional support of parents. The repeal of the current law would also increase danger for minor girls.
Reputable studies of human sex trafficking patterns indicate that states that have no parental involvement laws for abortion make it possible for an adult male to take a teenage victim of abuse or trafficking to an abortion clinic in the hopes of erasing the evidence of his abuse.
What protection exists for the girl outside of her parents or guardian being informed? Our state government should do everything it can to support families, not destabilize them. And we should be protecting teenage girls against traffickers and abusers — not enabling them.
Let’s stand up for parents and their children by opposing HB 1797 and SB 2190. I ask you to join me in calling your Illinois State Senator and Representative and tell them to vote “no” on HB 1797 and SB 2190.
Parents deserve to be involved in their minor children’s health care decisions, not sidelined by the state at the very time their daughters may need their guidance the most.
This story was originally published April 11, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "It would be a grave mistake for Illinois to eliminate parental notification of abortion."