Despite leftist commentators routinely insisting that the Democratic Party does not celebrate abortion, the governor for Illinois bragged this morning that state's new abortion law supposedly signals that Illinois "is a beacon of hope in the heart of this nation." The legislation essentially makes abortion-on-demand a reality and makes partial-birth abortion legal under Illinois law.
"Illinois is making history, because our state will now be the most progressive in the nation for reproductive healthcare," Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement after the Illinois Senate approved the passage of the Reproductive Health Act last week. The press release also noted that the law makes "good on his promise to make Illinois the most progressive state in the nation for women's reproductive rights."
Gov. Pritzker signed the legislation today, which will remove virtually all restrictions on abortions in the state.
"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," Pritzker said while signing the law. "We trust women," he added.
The Chicago Tribune has more details as to what exactly the radical bill includes.
via Chicago Tribune:
The bill establishes the “fundamental right” of a women 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.
Critics in the state rebut the governor's boast by saying the bill goes "much further" than the typical pro-life vs. pro-choice debate.
“In just a few short years, the Democrat party in Illinois went from advocating ‘safe, legal and rare’ to abortion-on-demand, at any time, for any reason, and funded by taxpayers,” Ilinois Senate Republican chairman Tim Schneider said in a statement after the passage of the law.
While partial-birth abortion is now legal at the state level in Illinois, there is still a federal law in place which bans the practice. It is unclear to what extent federal authority would enforce the law in Illinois should a woman seek the procedure.