[Note from Rich Miller: Experienced Statehouse reporter Hannah Meisel’s position was recently and abruptly eliminated, so I asked her to do some work for me during the closing weeks of spring session.]
By Hannah Meisel
* JB Pritzker made two public stops in Springfield Monday, first touring a local business incubator, then heading to the AFL-CIO headquarters to sign Personal PAC’s pledge to keep HB40 — the expanded abortion access law — on the books and untouched until at least 2023.
Personal PAC CEO Terry Cosgrove issued the challenge to both Pritzker and Gov. Rauner last week…
Several lawmakers in the General Assembly have filed three different proposals meant to repeal the law, but none were assigned to a committee for further consideration. Personal PAC, a Chicago-based pro-choice group, and some lawmakers said they want the guarantee that these don’t get approved by the future governor. The group plans to send Rauner and Democratic candidate J.B. Pritzker a pledge to establish this guarantee.
* Pritzker accused Rauner of waffling on HB40, which he ultimately signed in September after having reportedly told Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich that he wouldn’t…
“He was against it, then he was for it. Then he was against it. He lied. He lied to the Cardinal. This is a governor who can’t be trusted, and certainly can’t be trusted to stand up for women’s rights, and a woman’s right to choose.”
* Sen. Heather Steans was also on hand and warned of bills filed to repeal HB40…
“Here in Illinois, we truly are a haven. And it’s very scary to think what would happen to not just Illinois women, but so many women even from surrounding states have to come here to get their fundamental rights protected.”
Steans also described the uncertainty that surrounded the abortion bill for months last year.
“It was a total roller coaster. We never quite knew what was going to happen with the bill. The governor was for it, then he was against it, then he was for it. There was a lot of flip-flopping going on.”
* Mark Maxwell’s piece on the pledge…
“Rauner’s campaign refused to engage in the back-and-forth on the issue that has, for them, proven a political minefield. Many of the governor’s own staff members oppose abortion, and shy away from discussing the matter on the record. State legislators in the social conservative wing still hold lasting grudges with a governor who, according to them, leaves little space between his views on abortion and the Democrat running to replace him. “
* Most recent poll data I could find on public opinion of abortion in Illinois…
“In a February 2016 poll by Southern Illinois University’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, 36 percent of Illinoisans said abortion should be legal in all circumstances, compared with 29 percent in a nationwide Gallup poll last May. In the same polls, 44 percent in Illinois said abortion should be legal only in certain circumstances, compared with 50 percent who said that nationwide. And 15 percent of Illinoisans told the pollsters that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances — compared with 19 percent of Americans.”
(Public radio March 2017)
“73% percent of Illinois voters believe abortion should be a private decision between a woman and her doctor versus 20% who do not, making the margin of difference 53%. 7% were not sure.”
(from Personal PAC poll last April, shortly after Rauner said he would not sign HB40.)
* Meanwhile, Pritzker’s campaign this morning sent out a of Rauner dodging a direct question asking whether he’d sign the Equal Rights Amendment…
Rauner: “I’ve made my position clear. I support equal rights for everyone.
Reporter: “But that’s not the same thing as supporting the bill.”
- Not Again - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 10:10 am:
Thanks Rich and for giving us some Hannah.
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 10:22 am:
Take it to the bank that if a majority of Illinois residents supported taxpayer funded abortion on demand in HB 40 that poll would be released.
The fact it has not is telling
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 10:30 am:
“He was against it, then he was for it. Then he was against it. He lied. He lied to the Cardinal. This is a governor who can’t be trusted, and certainly can’t be trusted to stand up for women’s rights, and a woman’s right to choose.”
This right here. And it cuts both ways.
- A guy - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 10:30 am:
==… women even from surrounding states have to come here to get their fundamental rights protected.”
At the expense of the taxpayers of Illinois, the very least in a position to provide free services to people out of state; or in state for that matter.
- Juice - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 10:35 am:
A guy, that’s not what she’s talking about. Out of state residents aren’t enrolled in Medicaid in Illinois.
But if their legislatures and governors have made getting services nearly impossible in their home states, whether in Iowa, Missouri or Indiana, some people may choose to pay for those services out of state.
- Perrid - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 10:42 am:
A guy, what do you mean at the expense of IL taxpayers? Out of state residents don’t have IL Medicaid, and would not be IL state employees (mostly, at least). They would have to pay for it themselves.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 10:47 am:
–At the expense of the taxpayers of Illinois, the very least in a position to provide free services to people out of state; or in state for that matter.–
What a flippant and ridiculous lie.
- Chris Widger - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 11:09 am:
==At the expense of the taxpayers of Illinois, the very least in a position to provide free services to people out of state; or in state for that matter.==
Saying a wrong thing doesn’t make it right. Personal PAC is also playing games here, but let’s not misrepresent their incorrect position further.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 11:21 am:
First, Hannah Meisel, I read a great deal of what you write, top shelf work.
To the Post,
===Personal PAC, a Chicago-based pro-choice group, and some lawmakers said they want the guarantee that these don’t get approved by the future governor. The group plans to send Rauner and Democratic candidate J.B. Pritzker a pledge to establish this guarantee.===
Oh boy.
What Personal PAC should be striving for is securing a legislative firewall first. If either chamber in the next 2 General Assemblies can’t get these measures passed, why worry about the governor?
Ah.
It’s about the trick bag, isn’t it?
What’s confusing, for me, is why get in the way, right now, if Rauner and his own fued with the Republican pro-lifers? Go after Rauner by reminding him he already signed HB40. Why give Rauner breathing room by being clever by half?
Rauner’s own signature now is damaging to the pro-lifers abd those reminded that Rauner lied to Blase Cardinal Cupich.
That’s the real.
- cdog - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 11:26 am:
Welcome, Hannah. Nice move from Miller.
Why don’t we ever hear about the racial breakdown of abortions? Would those facts go against the prevailing hegemony?
- A guy - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 11:27 am:
Nice to be engaged with all the Paragons of Virtue today. Illinois is finally in a position to be #1 in something; and this is what we choose??
I keep hearing this whole line of “It’s between a woman and her doctor”
What doctor is this? The Abortionist, the person who sees her for a few minutes at the most? That’s the other party in this life and death decision?
Planned Parenthood does not do all these tests that we all get to hear they do. They refer women to other places for those diagnostics that are real clinics. They exist for a single money maker.
Wait’ll you see what Illinois Medicaid is charged for these procedures vs. what is paid when the tax payers aren’t paying for it.
I’m unabashedly Pro Life. I perfectly understand that other people have other views. The hard line always was; no public money should be used to pay for this procedure. Even pro-choice people largely agreed with that.
As Pope Francis said, 75% of the victims are female to this procedure; half of the babies and all of the mothers. We can do so much better.
- Emily Miller - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 11:28 am:
Glad Hannah is doing some work here before she gets scooped up by someone else!
- A guy - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 11:36 am:
===- Perrid - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 10:42 am:
A guy, what do you mean at the expense of IL taxpayers? Out of state residents don’t have IL Medicaid, and would not be IL state employees (mostly, at least). They would have to pay for it themselves.==
OK, gotcha. Remind me again who is providing the funding for PP in this state? That would be specifically the public funding?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 11:39 am:
- A Guy -
Rauner let you down by signing HB40.
You still support Rauner.
Maybe you should reconsider what it means to be let down since in the end, the actual governor that actually signed the actual bill… you will be voting for again.
- Juvenal - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 11:50 am:
Oswego Willy, this might have something to do with it:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/abortion-rights-group-dubs-gov-rauner-and-first-lady-liars/
Here I think is the strategy: keep HB40 in the news. No matter what voters think about the issue, keep it the issue.
Pro-choice voters are reminded they cannot trust Rauner.
Pro-life voters are reminded they cannot trust Rauner.
As for the GA strategy: you hope that all those Jeanne Ives voters stay home. Remind them of how they threw away their vote in 2018, provide them with a list of better things to do.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 12:02 pm:
- Juvenal -
I hear ya, and you are obviously on point as well.
I guess where I sit, the electoral picture is less muddied by Rauner’s lacking with conservatives and pro-life voters who will actually vote against Rauner… and Jeanne Ives.
This ginning up a question for a question about a question, all hypothetical… seems… too cute by half.
- Wonderful World - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 12:42 pm:
Welcome Hannah. Might as well hit the boiling pots of controversy first thing, right? I am horrified, as a senior aged moderate woman, that we are STILL having these battles. Please…
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 2:14 pm:
Children deserve life, regardless of whether they are wanted.
- Mike Cirrincione - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 2:40 pm:
@lucky
So your a nanny state Liberal who supports Government Regulation of an Individuals body.
Got it.
- Mike Cirrincione - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 2:44 pm:
@ a guy:
Your absolutely right it’s between an individual and their doctor.
What other medical procedures do you want the Government to regulate?
- Mama - Tuesday, May 15, 18 @ 5:33 pm:
Dear JB Pritzker, Please stop calling that law ‘HB40′ because the majority of voters do not know what the heck “HB40″ means. Start referring to ‘HB40′ as ‘Rauner’s expanded abortion access law’.