Parental Notification of Abortion Repeal Sent to Governor
Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin) the House Sponsor of the Parental Notification of Abortion repeal, speaks at a news conference in 2019.
The House passed a repeal of the Parental Notification of Abortion law Wednesday night following emotional debate, sending the bill to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk.
More from the great Rachel Hinton of the Sun-Times:
House members voted to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act and pass the Youth Health and Safety Act. It passed in a 62 to 51 vote with three voting present and two not voting.
Barring any legislative maneuvers, the bill now goes to the governor’s desk.
In a spirited pitch for repeal, state Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, called the notification law “the last anti-abortion law that we have on our books” and said overturning it ensures “we are protecting our most vulnerable young people in Illinois.”
But emotions ran just as high on the other side of the aisle.
In an impassioned speech opposing the bill, state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, said a vote for the repeal is not just “failing girls — it’s failing good parents.”
“We’re not talking about 17-year-olds exclusively who are months away from being 18, we’re talking about middle schoolers — potentially parents of middle schoolers — not having the right to know that their daughter is going through this and not having the foreknowledge to know what happens afterwards,” Bourne said.
Six Democrats voted against the bill, Rep. Will Davis (D-Homewood), Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Chicago Heights), Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur), Rep. Larry Walsh Jr. (D-Elwood), Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa), and Rep. Mike Zalewski (D-Riverside).