(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lightfoot on Monday said they are sending welcoming signals to large corporations based in other states with restrictive abortion laws or bans.
Pritzker, asked about Eli Lilly’s opposition to Indiana’s new abortion ban, confirmed he has reached out to the drug maker to tell them Illinois would welcome any expansion projects.
“We welcome their employees. We treat workers here well and, very importantly, we protect their individual rights and their families’ rights,” the governor said at an unrelated news conference.
Some state legislatures have moved quickly following the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v Wade, to ban abortion. Illinois, which allows the procedure, is styling itself as a “haven” for women from other states and is bracing for an increase in abortion services.
Lightfoot said her administration has reached out to Fortune 100 companies whose directors do no support restrictions on abortions.
“What we’re hearing — certainly what we’re seeing — is employees at these companies saying, ‘Count me out. I do not want to work, I do not want to live, in a state that doesn’t value me and doesn’t value my rights,’” Lightfoot said. “So, I think there’s tremendous opportunity for the state of Illinois and, importantly, the city of Chicago for us to reach out and to continue that outreach to businesses.”
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