(WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Today's the day that Illinois' Parental Notification of Abortion Law expires and pro-life activists say this is a sad day.
The notification law, requiring doctors to notify parents when their minor children sought abortions, was passed by the Illinois legislature in 1995. But, because of a court fight, it wasn’t enforced until 2013. The repeal law was signed by Governor Pritzker last December, effective today.
The governor said the law punished the most vulnerable of pregnant teens, victims of rape and abuse, and unsafe homes. But, Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-Life Action League, said the notification law was popular with families, and its repeal endangers children.
“Abortion is associated with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicide ideation, especially in young people, and these are problems that parents won’t even know to be looking for,” argued Scheidler.
As for teens in hostile home environments, Scheidler said the law had a bypass provision allowing minors to get approval from a judge.
Scheidler expects another legislative struggle but he hopes public opinion will carry the day.
“We will certainly fight to restore this law to the public of Illinois in the coming years. But, I think first it’s going to take really the experience of seeing Illinois become the abortion capital of the Midwest,” Scheidler said.
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