* From an organization called Catholic Vote regarding HB40 and Gov. Rauner…
Earlier this year we co-funded a private poll in Illinois. We interviewed Republicans and Democrats, pro-life voters and pro-abortion people in Illinois to mirror the expected turnout of voters next year. And the results were shocking:
* 58% of voters oppose taxpayer funding of abortion vs. 32% in favor
* 30% of voters are “much less likely” to vote for Rauner if he signs this bill
* An additional 10% of voters are “somewhat less likely” to support him again
The conclusion: If Gov. Bruce Rauner signs this bill into law, he is signing an electoral suicide note. The results are clear: a significant portion of his base will not support him next year.
H.B. 40 was approved by the General Assembly earlier this year. But legislators decided not to send the bill to Rauner fearing he might veto it. Instead, they held the bill and have quietly lobbied him for months. The bill would authorize state funding for abortions for Medicaid recipients and state employees for ANY reason. Experts estimate the bill would cost the nearly bankrupt state an additional $20-30 million.
Illinois Catholics must unite now.
Earlier this year letters from every Illinois bishop were placed in bulletins across the state. A copy of the letter from Cardinal Cupich can be read here.
30 percent “much less likely” generally means the issue isn’t yet something that will “move” voters. We’ll see.
Also, the Catholic hierarchy strongly supported the tuition tax credit idea, which will cost the state $75 million that it doesn’t have every year.
- Lucky Pierre - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:14 am:
The issues is much bigger than just Catholics voters who oppose.
The 58% in opposition is all voters not just Catholics.
The list of Illinois Catholic legislators who support taxpayer funding of abortion is astounding.
- Fax Machine - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:17 am:
How many are much more likely to vote for Rauner if he signs it?
- anon2 - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:17 am:
The evidence indicates that Catholic women are not less likely to get abortions than non-Catholics.
- Sox Fan - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:19 am:
Calling someone “pro-abortion” leads me to believe the poll may be slightly flawed.
- Henry Francis - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:23 am:
Suicide is a mortal sin. That’s quite the word choice.
Interesting that they don’t really make a moral argument, rather a political and fiscal argument against the legislation.
- wordslingerin wordslinges - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:23 am:
Good thing they’re just engaging in threatening, violent imagery, and not doing anything un-endurable like taking a knee during the national anthem.
- Michelle Flaherty - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:25 am:
Thank you Henry Francis.
I was taken aback by the flippantly political use of “suicide”
- Nick Name - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:26 am:
NB: CatholicVote isn’t “Catholic,” in the sense that it has any standing in the Church. It has none. It’s an advocacy group funding by right-wing interests that just happens to have “Catholic” in its name. It speaks for whoever funds it, not for rank-and-file Catholics and certainly not for the Catholic Church.
The only reason it’s allowed to call itself “Catholic” is because bishops lack the backbone to enforce canon law regarding private organizations calling themselves “Catholic.”
- Langhorne - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:28 am:
I would like an explanation of the $30 mil cost, please.
How many abortions? How many medicaid/insurance? Are these all expansion of the number occurring, transference from private pay, decrease in live births? What clinics will perform them? Difficult questions, but the $30 mil figure should not be accepted wout scrutiny.
- DuPage - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:29 am:
“Bruce has no social agenda”.-Diana Rauner
- Amalia - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:35 am:
you mean Roman Catholic vote. you think you have ownership of the term Catholic. You don’t.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:58 am:
==You mean Roman Catholic vote. You think you have ownership of the word Catholic. You don’t.==
Sure why not mislead people? It’s legal.
- Perrid - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 11:59 am:
The DHFS in their note on the legislation estimated that it would cost $1.8 million annually. That’s just Medicaid, not the State health insurance, but even if we more than double it to $4 million it ain’t $20-$30 million. Even if it was $30 million that is literally a rounding error for DHFS, which has something like a $14 BILLION annual budget. Come on now. I’m actually fairly conservative on this one issue, I consider unborn babies to be people oddly enough, but you can’t just make up numbers because you have no other argument.
- Jocko - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 12:38 pm:
==pro-life voters and pro-abortion people==
No bias here. Has anyone asked Catholic Vote their openness toward adoption or paying the medical bills of a medically fragile child post-delivery?
- Anonymous - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 12:47 pm:
Jocko. The Catholic church is one of the largest groups that help support adoption, and care for babies and children after they are born. They walk the walk.
- Amalia - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 1:04 pm:
and they don’t support infertility treatments such as IVF to create children nor birth control pills that aid in that work, or are used for life saving measures on health care for some women.
- VanillaMan - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 2:38 pm:
To the posting - Catholic Vote is right. Rauner will lose if he signs this bill requiring that all citizens pay for procedures which end a human life.
- walker - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 3:17 pm:
VMan: This is not the issue that will turn this election. If Rauner loses it will be on lack of faith in his leadership. If he wins it will be taxes, plus rejection of old Democratic leaders.
- VanillaMan - Monday, Sep 25, 17 @ 3:48 pm:
We don’t disagree.
Rauner already lost againgst a generic Democrat. All he can do now is lose his conservative base by disrespecting them further.