* I’ve been telling subscribers about this for several days…
Gov. Pritzker to Call Special Session for Reproductive Health Rights, with Support from Speaker Welch and President Harmon
Governor Issues Statement on Urgency of Standing Up for Reproductive Rights
In Illinois, we trust women. Despite the action of the Supreme Court today overturning Roe v. Wade, the right to safe, accessible reproductive health care is in full force in Illinois – and will remain so.
In Illinois, we’ve planned for this terrible day, an enormous step backward and a shattering loss of rights. We passed the Reproductive Health Act, enshrining choice as the law of the land in Illinois. We removed the trigger law that would have prohibited abortion in Illinois with the overturning of Roe v Wade. We expanded health care so that finances are not a barrier to receiving reproductive care.
In Illinois, we are a state committed to expanding access to reproductive health care including abortion care, contraception access, fertility treatment and gender affirming care. We’ve made it clear that we trust people to make the best decisions for themselves about their own reproductive health.
In Illinois, we will hold firm to these rights and continue to work with stakeholders to expand them. To that end, I am calling the General Assembly into special session in the coming weeks, with the support and consultation of House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon. Together, we are committed to taking swift action to further enshrine our commitment to reproductive health care rights and protections.
* From Senate President Don Harmon’s spokesperson…
We applaud the governor’s leadership, the Senate President is in agreement and we are working on the logistics.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Here we go…
UPDATE: Daily Public Schedule: Friday, June 24, 2022
What: Governor Pritzker to call for special session to further enshrine reproductive rights after Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
Where: Howard Brown Health Clark- 2nd Floor Atrium; 6500 N Clark St, Chicago.
When: 10:30 am
Watch: www.illinois.gov/livevideo
Note: Masks are required at this facility. Street parking available on Clark Street. Attendees and media should enter through main doors of clinic then take the elevator to the second floor.
*** UPDATE 2 *** I’m told by several sources that Democratic state Senators are being advised to keep July 6 and 7 open for a special session.
From an email…
Good morning Senators,
In light of this morning’s ruling and based on the availability survey results, please hold the following dates:
Wednesday, July 6th
Thursday, July 7th
*** UPDATE 3 *** Senate GOP Leader McConchie…
In response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and Governor Pritzker calling a special session to expand abortion rights even further, Senate Republican Leader, Dan McConchie, issued the following statement:
“Let me be clear, Governor Pritzker and many Illinois Democrats want to push Illinois to the utter extreme on abortion policy. Right now, Illinoisans can already get an abortion in all nine months of pregnancy for any reason and use taxpayer dollars to pay for it. But that’s not enough. Now, they want us to help pay for out-of-state residents to travel to Illinois to receive abortions and even allow non-physicians here to perform them.
“This is clearly not what mainstream Illinoisans want. While the Governor is calling a special session to act on these and potentially other extreme measures, Illinoisans are trying to deal with soaring gas prices and massive grocery bills that are leaving families hopeless. Instead of dealing with these vital issues, Pritzker is embracing an extreme agenda that will make Illinois an outlier even amongst the most liberal states.”
…Adding… Gov. Pritzker’s statement to reporters today…
We knew this day was coming.
The extremists on the Supreme Court have made an abhorrent decision — one rooted in partisan games — leaving an indelible stain on our nation. Overturning Roe v. Wade directly contradicts the nation’s history of expanding rights in the United States. It’s an attack on freedom and liberty our constitution is supposed to guarantee. Right now, it’s abortion they’re taking away. Next, it will be birth control and other contraceptives. Next: fertility treatment. They are coming to take away women’s power to become mothers at the time of their choosing. And they are allowing states to criminalize the exercise of reproductive rights. Women and their doctors are now threatened with going to prison or being bankrupted because of the radical majority Donald Trump and his right-wing allies created on the Supreme Court.
Here we are. At exactly the point many of us feared and even predicted. Privacy rights are being eviscerated right before our very eyes. If they can take away your ability to control your own body, there’s not much that stops them from making marriage equality illegal and taking away employment protections for your beliefs or your orientation.
No ifs, ands, or buts about it: we are headed down a dangerous spiral that will erode our democracy. This attack on personal rights is not new in the world. We’ve read this book before. I’ve read this book before. Maybe the Supreme Court will now authorize burning the book.
If you want a glimpse into the future, you can look to our past.
Just a few miles away from here, at the old Cook County hospital, there was a wing once known as Ward 41. Ward 41 was dedicated to what they used to call “septic obstetrics”—or in layman’s terms: botched abortions. From 1961 to 1965 ALONE, Ward 41 doctors managed the aftermath of over 20,000 illegal abortions. Because abortions were illegal, desperate women sought out desperate solutions. Hospital professionals from back then say what they saw was nothing short of horrific — disturbing memories etched into their minds for eternity.
They treated women who burned their insides with bleach and peroxide. Women whose uteruses were perforated with paintbrushes, cocktail stirrers, knitting needles, and wire coat hangers. Women who were nearly dead due to unimaginable blood loss and advanced sepsis. These women saw no other choice. They risked their lives out of desperation for just a semblance of control. And far too many died.
Before Roe v. Wade, criminal abortions were the leading cause of maternal death in the United States by a 7 to 1 margin. Those who did not die were left infertile, in perpetual pain, and permanently traumatized. Today, I’m thinking about those women—those we’ve lost and those we’ve harmed. We cannot allow their deaths to be in vain.
Make no mistake: in the many states where they will be illegal, abortions will continue. Now they will also be dangerous, they will be secretive and they will be deadly.
I am here to say: We cannot go back to Ward 41. In Illinois, we WILL NOT go back to Ward 41. And for all the women whose fundamental rights have been taken away today, we stand with you. We will raise our voices, we will open our arms to help you and we will protect your rights.
To the right-wing officeholders who today are cheering the Supreme Court’s ruling: GET YOUR IRON BOOT OFF WOMEN’S NECKS! Hop off your high horse and know that what you’re calling a “celebration of life” today will actually lead to death — the death of women in abusive situations, the death of women whose health is at risk, the death of women and girls who will still seek abortions—ones that are unsafe and performed by unqualified back-alley butchers.
Let me make this explicit and clear to women throughout our state, the Midwest, and our nation: Illinois will be a safe haven for the exercise of your reproductive rights. In Illinois, Roe v. Wade is still the law, and it will remain the law as long as we have a pro-choice legislature and a pro-choice governor. Here, we trust you to make your own decisions about your reproductive health. We will defend your right to bodily autonomy.
In Illinois, we will hold firm to these rights and continue to work with stakeholders – many of whom are standing with me now – to expand them.
To that end, I am informing the General Assembly that I will be calling them into special session in the coming weeks to more firmly protect women’s reproductive rights in Illinois and address the challenges posed by this radical Supreme Court decision. I’m grateful to have the support and partnership of House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon in this effort. Together, the Democratic leadership in Illinois is committed to taking swift action to further enshrine our commitment to reproductive healthcare.
I want to close by speaking directly to those who have the most at stake in today’s decision:
To the single mom juggling four kids and three-part time jobs, Illinois will fight for you. To the teenage CHILD, who endured rape or incest, Illinois will fight for you. To the marginalized and most vulnerable, who are being attacked at every turn by transphobic, or misogynistic or bigoted politicians, Illinois will fight for you. We will NOT turn back the clock. Here in the Land of Lincoln and the home state of Barack Obama, where we were the first to ratify women’s suffrage 100 years ago, we will continue the fight for freedom, liberty, and justice for ALL.
…Adding… WTTW…
Likely on the agenda for the special session will be bills designed to strengthen protections for abortion care, and to provide resources for people traveling to Illinois from states that have banned abortion.
Here’s what the governor said about travelers…
We don’t provide direct subsidies to people coming from other states. We support the women of Illinois with a lot of funding to make sure that they can exercise their rights and their health care. People who come from other states, though, do benefit from the capacity building that we do, from support that we provide to providers. So that they can build their professionals, the number of professionals on staff, and there’s more that we can do. But let me be clear, I mean, we start first and foremost, protecting the people of Illinois and the women of Illinois, and now we are definitely going to see many more people coming to the state even than we saw over the last year. And we need to make sure that we’re ready for that.
…Adding… Center Square…
State Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, said he doesn’t see the point of why Pritzker needs to call for a special session because the Supreme Court ruling changes nothing in Illinois.
“In Illinois we have the most extreme pro-abortion laws in the nation,” Batinik said. “A minor child can get an abortion with taxpayer funds without even telling her parents.”
Batinick said Pritzker should instead be focusing on the issues that Illinoisans are more concerned about, such as inflation, gas taxes and corruption.
* Rep. Niemerg…
State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) called the official 5-4 decision by the United States Supreme Court a historic decision.
“This is a great day for the pro-life movement,” declared Rep. Adam Niemerg. “But this is now a states rights issue and we have more work to do in Illinois.”
“The Governor has called for a special session of the General Assembly to take up more legislation to appease pro-choice activists. Instead of looking for ways to expand abortion the Governor should focus on services to help expecting mothers before and after pregnancy. We need to give mothers options, not limitations.”
* SJ-R…
State Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, said Pritzker was using the special session as “a campaign tactic in the general election to scare voters. It’s very disturbing.”
With gas at $5 a gallon and with the threats of rolling blackouts from utilities across the state, Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield said Pritzker’s call for a special session was “ridiculous.”
“Illinois is now an abortion haven with the laws the governor has passed and now he wants to do more,” said Butler, who is pro-life. “It speaks volumes about where his priorities are.”
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 9:48 am:
What are the legislative goals of the special session and how much will it cost taxpayers? Clearly 100% showboating for JB’s #1 issue.
No chance to pass ethics reform to address the 8 indicted Democratic lawmakers
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 9:50 am:
It’s critical to get the Illinois Republicans on the record, after Roe being overturned, so there’s no ambiguity.
That’s first.
Second,
Illinois being a place for safe access for women’s health is a critical discussion. All sides should want to discuss this.
- Chicago Blue - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:02 am:
Please don’t just stop with abortion rights. Thomas’s opinion directly states that he wants to attack contraception, same sex marriage and same sex relationships. We need to be a beacon of freedom in the Midwest while our peers tunnel to darkness.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:03 am:
=== What are the legislative goals of the special session and how much will it cost taxpayers? Clearly 100% showboating for JB’s #1 issue.
No chance to pass ethics reform to address the 8 indicted Democratic lawmakers===
- Lucky Pierre -
You were one that said, often, and I can grab those responses if you want, that abortion won’t be an issue
Here *you* are totally deflecting… arguing “process and cost”… not one word on abortion.
Why?
Let’s get everyone on the record, heck give Republicans twice as much time in debate, both chambers…
Women’s rights isn’t important to you, LP?
- Amalia - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:09 am:
anyone or any entity who sues anyone or any entity in Illinois for providing a service in Illinois is countersued with treble damages. Fight back.
- Demoralized - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:10 am:
==What are the legislative goals of the special session ==
Are you really that dumb?
==No chance to pass ethics reform==
And once again LP swoops in with his whataboutism. LP has an uncanny ability to not be able to focus on the issue at hand.
- Arsenal - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:18 am:
==Clearly 100% showboating for JB’s #1 issue.==
It’s now a lot of women’s #1 issue, too, bud.
- Pundent - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:18 am:
I suppose if I was a Republican I’d be deflecting too. It’s hard to see where the ILGOP goes from here in a post Roe v. Wade world particularly now that their main financial backer has closed up shop.
- Amalia - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:24 am:
dear (un)Lucky Pierre, this is a fundamental shift that makes more clear than ever that women are not equal under the law. That appropriately means this legislative action above all else.
- ChicagoVinny - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:24 am:
== Please don’t just stop with abortion rights. ==
Agreed. Thomas’ concurrence made it clear they are coming after other rights as well, we need to protect them too.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:29 am:
Again, abortion is already legal in Illinois and is a fundamental right.
Not much grey area there.
What will this legislative session accomplish and how much will it cost?
How much are Illinois taxpayers paying for abortion services for non Illinois residents?
https://www.aclu-il.org/en/campaigns/illinois-reproductive-health-act-faq
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:31 am:
Overturning Roe is such a non-issue that every channel has had wall to wall coverage… for 90 minutes.
Let the Republican legislators speak on this on the floor during a special session.
- SaulGoodman - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:32 am:
** No chance to pass ethics reform to address the 8 indicted Democratic lawmakers**
If they’re indicted, it looks like the law already covers their behavior?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:33 am:
===the 8 indicted Democratic lawmakers===
The Arroyo Rule is in full effect in the House.
Keep up.
- Pundent - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:34 am:
=How much are Illinois taxpayers paying for abortion services for non Illinois residents?=
Yes. Because when it comes to protecting rights and standing up for women the first question we must always ask is, “how much will it cost?”
And I’ve yet to hear a Republican candidate for governor on this issue acknowledge this “fundamental right.” Darren Bailey and most others have conceded nothing on this point.
- Arsenal - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:34 am:
==Again, abortion is already legal in Illinois and is a fundamental right.==
The leading Republican candidates for Governor want to change that.
- Ryder - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:35 am:
Regardless of this Ruling….one must recognize and respect that there remains an alternate populace that applauds this Decision. There remains a constituency that favors the rights of the unborn over the choices of men and women.
- Scoot - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:36 am:
ILGOP, it’s 2022 not 1922. I’ve voted with the GOP for 20 years, and no longer. Will support Dems for the first time in my adult life.
- Socially DIstant Watcher - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:36 am:
McConchie is really trying to tie “extreme” to the majority party.
Maybe he should consider whether overturning Roe is more extreme.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:36 am:
=== Again, abortion is already legal in Illinois and is a fundamental right.
Not much grey area there.===
You’re right.
Sullivan and Bailey are pro-life.
Vote accordingly
- Demoralized - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:37 am:
==This is clearly not what mainstream Illinoisans want==
Well, those same Illinoisans elected these people to be the super majority so maybe it is what they want?
- Donnie Elgin - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:37 am:
“Let the Republican legislators speak on this on the floor during a special session”
GOP comments in Special session
The Supreme Court …”We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives”
Illinois has through legislation preserved the right for women in Illinois to secure abortions. We respect the will of the people.
End of statement
- Pundent - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:39 am:
=There remains a constituency that favors the rights of the unborn over the choices of men and women.=
Yes. They would be the minority. And you’ll have a really hard time building a viable party in Illinois around this view.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:42 am:
Dear Senate GOP Leader McConchie…
“Have all voted who wish, have all voted who wish… have all… voted who wish…”
Right now, “today”, given this last cycle too?
It’s almost impossible to see a pro-choice Republican winning a statewide primary in Illinois.
It’s almost impossible to see a pro-life Republican winning a statewide general election in Illinois.
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:44 am:
Read the room Dan McConchie.
You are from Lake County - Deer Park, Hawthorn Woods, Hoffman Estates, Kildeer, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Long Grove, Mundelein - all in your district are fiscally conservative but socially becoming more liberal…
Food for thought from a Democrat in a neighboring district.
- Amalia - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:45 am:
ask every candidate on the ballot if they are in favor of reproductive choices. this is it.
- Pundent - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:46 am:
To be clear, Dan McConchie is not advocating that we maintain the status quo in Illinois. If he had the power to change it he would. But he doesn’t so he’d prefer not to talk about the issue at all.
- TNT - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:48 am:
Interesting that McConchie is the first to stick his neck out on the GOP side. He’s probably the one legislator most at risk for losing in November because of abortion. Not saying he will lose, but his race has gone from being an afterthought in what should be a pro-GOP midterm to suddenly competitive.
- hisgirlfriday - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:49 am:
Dear IL GOPers like Sen McConchie, can you please just shut your yap about someone else’s “extreme agenda” today?
Not really in the mood for such nonsense.
- ;) - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:51 am:
Yea, I am definitely good on having my hard earned tax dollar going to pay for out of state abortions, particularly when we aren’t even appropriately funding mental health treatment and public safety necessities appropriately for our own citizenry.
- Nicky - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:51 am:
Isn’t abortion still legal in illinois
- OneMan - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:52 am:
== Thomas’s opinion directly states that he wants to attack contraception, same sex marriage and same sex relationships. ==
I would work to get the GOP on record when it comes to protecting the availability of contraception despite marital status (and other things).
- Arsenal - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:52 am:
==Interesting that McConchie is the first to stick his neck out on the GOP side.==
He is, if only by process of elimination, their must credible voice. They have no statewide office holders and Durkin is too hamstrung by chaos in his caucus. The Congresscritters are too regional (and most of them have issues with their own electorates) and the GOV candidates have no purchase in 2/3rds of the state.
He’s basically the only one who can speak with any kind of authority right now.
- Demoralized - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:53 am:
==Isn’t abortion still legal in illinois==
Just wait until the Ken Paxton’s of the world start suing other states for providing abortions to their citizens. I would bet money that the first time a Texan gets an abortion in another state a lawsuit will be filed.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:55 am:
=== Isn’t abortion still legal in illinois===
“Any Republican that is not pro-life is a R_ _ _”
Any Republican unwilling to stop abortions in Illinois will face the base’s anger…
I hope every GOP legislator opines how they are happy today.
Otherwise, aren’t they a R _ N _?
- Roadrager - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:57 am:
==Please don’t just stop with abortion rights. Thomas’s opinion directly states that he wants to attack contraception, same sex marriage and same sex relationships.==
It also took all of five minutes after the decision’s publication for Mike Pence to make the pivot from “States should be able to make their own laws on abortion” to “We need to enact a federal abortion ban” official. This is what they’ll run on in 2024, hard, because even if there is not popular support in it, there is enough money in it to overcome that lack of popular support. Anything passed here to support/affirm reproductive rights is a law living on borrowed time.
Thomas’ (and again, we are letting the husband of an avowed insurrectionist make these decisions) opinion also makes it crystal clear that if you are not white enough, old enough, and rich enough, they plan on coming for your rights, too. It’s just a matter of when they get around to it and when the case reaches their desks, and they have a whole infrastructure built out to make these cases.
- Norseman - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:57 am:
The hypocrisy of a majority of the “pro life” movement is stunning. They will do whatever they can to make sure the fetus is born, but most - especially the GOP politicians - don’t give a fig about what happens to them afterwards.
- Roadrager - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 10:59 am:
==“Any Republican that is not pro-life is a R_ _ _”==
And we know what they do with those types nowadays. One guy’s printing up licenses for it and everything.
- Michelle Flaherty - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:00 am:
Super minority leader isn’t a good fit for McConchie.
Extreme Minority Leader fits much better.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:00 am:
===And we know what they do with those types nowadays. One guy’s printing up licenses for it and everything.===
Huh? You lost me.
- Demoralized - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:01 am:
==Huh? You lost me.==
I believe they are referring to RINO hunter Eric Greitens in Missouri.
- Perrid - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:03 am:
Not sure what’s on the agenda, IL is already one of the most permissive states in the nation when it comes to abortion. I question the urgency, but whatever.
- hisgirlfriday - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:06 am:
@Nicky - It is legal in Illinois today.
That will change as soon as Republicans get power to change it.
In the meantime, the Free State of Illinois will be affected by an inflyx of abortion seekers from throughout the Southeast and Midwest for the foreseeable future.
- Amalia - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:08 am:
Rich, while I know that this now becomes a State issue, I note with thanks that you started threads before the special session came up. Thank you for noting what is important, especially, to half the population. this blog is important to me and right now I’m in deep pain and I need the sharing. So thanks.
- Roadrager - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:08 am:
==Not sure what’s on the agenda, IL is already one of the most permissive states in the nation when it comes to abortion. I question the urgency, but whatever.==
From my post above:
==It also took all of five minutes after the decision’s publication for Mike Pence to make the pivot from “States should be able to make their own laws on abortion” to “We need to enact a federal abortion ban” official.==
When one side acts with urgency and the other side spends its time convincing itself the matter isn’t actually urgent, the results speak for themselves.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:16 am:
===This is clearly not what mainstream Illinoisans want===
Says the guy leading a superminority 18 of 59 members lol. Your caucus is really in touch with the mainstream, huh Danny boy?
- Pundent - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:17 am:
=I question the urgency, but whatever.=
If the question is, “should we protect a woman’s right to choose, now and into the future”, I don’t think answer is, “what’s the rush?”
- Seats - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:24 am:
McConchie talking about gas prices in his response, what a joke.
- Publius - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:24 am:
What the ILGOP doesn’t say is that they don’t trust people. They want to make decisions for you by a select group of people who know better than you. For years they were the party of personal responsibility but no longer.
- Karen - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:25 am:
==What will this legislative session accomplish and how much will it cost?==
Are you serious? I hope Republicans use this nonsense in debate. Women are now second class citizens in the United States. Guns are now allowed in businesses and age restrictions on guns are likely invalid. The country is falling apart and you’re worried about a few thousand dollars? Illinois should lead the nation in amending the US Constitution on both of these issues!
- TheNotVisibleMan - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:52 am:
actions you can take on an individual level;
If you were baptized Catholic, the church will count you as a member for the rest of your life no matter if you attend or not.
To actually leave the Catholic church, you have to send notification in writing to your local Bishop to add your status of having left the church to the baptismal record.
Otherwise, you are a member for life.
- Nicky - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:53 am:
Hisgirl
Is there something wrong with women coming to illionois to get an abortion
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:54 am:
sorry about the above comment again Rich. I’ve gotta clean out my browser form autofill so it stops using that other similar nickname from another site.
- Amalia - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 11:59 am:
a group of 50 or so prosecutors nationally signed on to a letter saying they will not prosecute women who travel. signed on in Illinois from Cook, Lake, and Kane County prosecutors.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 12:01 pm:
===women the right to have post-birth abortions up to 9 months after birth. If any women decides they don’t want their fetus post-birth, up to 9 months===
The creepy people are out in force I see.
- TNT - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 12:01 pm:
Strictly on the politics, this is a boon for Dems. An advisory referendum is a no-brainer. Expanding access by allowing LPN’s to perform abortions makes sense. But I’d like to see some polling data on building new clinics with state funds or the state picking up transportation costs for out-of-staters seeking access. Those items might be a bridge too far.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 12:06 pm:
Go back under your bridge, please, the adults are talking.
- Donnie Elgin - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 12:20 pm:
“Agreed. Thomas’ concurrence made it clear they are coming after other rights as well, we need to protect them too.”
Thomas is a voice of one in that view – the majority opinion is clear on that …
“Alito stressed in the majority opinion that his reasoning applies only to abortion and rejected any assertions that the rationale in Dobbs could extend to Griswold, Lawrence or Obergefell.
“Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion,”
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3535841-thomas-calls-for-overturning-precedents-on-contraceptives-lgbtq-rights/
- Arsenal - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 12:38 pm:
== Thomas is a voice of one in that view – the majority opinion is clear on that …==
It is comically naive to take the word of people who have already lied about their respect for precedent when they say a precedent is safe *in an opinion in which they overrule a precedent*.
- Socially DIstant Watcher - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 12:46 pm:
==When one side acts with urgency and the other side spends its time convincing itself the matter isn’t actually urgent, the results speak for themselves. ==
This is exactly the point. Republicans are hoping to find votes from people who like to think of themselves as pro-choice but are willing to hit snooze on the issue and vote Republican for other issues. How many such voters will there be after the court strikes down Roe?
That is the central question of this election cycle.
- Mick - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 12:49 pm:
This is just a PR move by Pritzker . He wants to make a move on the national stage. This is a way to get into the spotlight.
- low level - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 12:50 pm:
“Instead of looking for ways to expand abortion the Governor should focus on services to help expecting mothers before and after pregnancy. We need to give mothers options, not limitations.”
Super Adam Niemerg. So you will support poor babies and their mothers now? Or continue to insist infants pull themselves up by their bootstraps?
- Jibba - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 12:56 pm:
Thank you, Supreme Court, for opening us up to the coming decades of vicious fights every election cycle for every state and federal legislative office. Think the last 50 years was bad? Far worse to come, since instituting abortion bans (or repealing them) will be the primary concern for every election nationwide for the foreseeable future.
I’ll admit I’m not thrilled about the idea of taxpayer funds going to assist any out-of-staters in general. I’ll have to see what form assistance takes before further comment.
- B Team - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 1:30 pm:
Some pathetic responses by Republican members trying to change the narrative from an issue they know isn’t on their side in this state.
- Moved East - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 1:37 pm:
Hey Mick, good policy can be coupled with good politics -they are not mutually exclusive concepts. This decision will lead to new national leaders will be born - on both sides.
- clec dcn - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 1:48 pm:
This is a waste of time. It is legal in Illinois and while I don’t support abortion in any situation the country will divide further. In the end we may not know as it can take years for things to unravel. Save the time and they expense of a special session. To me this could be the start of JB running for the big office if Biden says no to 2nd term.
- Mistake - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 2:12 pm:
My daughter now has fewer rights than her mother, but yes, let’s fret about ethics and gas prices.
- Arsenal - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 2:14 pm:
==It is legal in Illinois==
Ya’ll keep saying this like it is an immutable fact and on this very day we got a stark reminder that laws can change abruptly.
And on this very issue, no less.
- FormerParatrooper - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 2:27 pm:
If the overwhelming majority of the Country supports abortion, then stop and think what should have been done in the last 50 years instead of relying on a shaky law that could be overturned.
Bring a Constitutional Amendment to codify abortion as a Right. Once codified in the Constitution you have a better standing. And you can argue for generations that it is a Constitutional Right. But like most Rights you will still have to fight against limitations and restrictions.
- Arsenal - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 2:29 pm:
==instead of relying on a shaky law that could be overturned==
Which law *Can’t* be overturned? Even Constitutional Amendments- which are extraordinarily hard to accomplish- can be reversed.
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 2:39 pm:
Niemerg: “… the Governor should focus on services to help expecting mothers before and after pregnancy. We need to give mothers options, not limitations.”
Rep. Niemerg, you have plenty of time to file some bills that provide state support from conception through college. Get to it.
- FormerParatrooper - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 3:05 pm:
@Arsenal…. It seems based on history that a court decision and a law are much easier to overturn than a Constitutional Amendment. Only one Amendment has been repealed.
Are we in disagreement that a Constitutional Amendment would put abortion on a better foundation in law?
- LakeCo - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 3:09 pm:
Ugh, Republicans are gross. Gas prices are a priority but bodily autonomy for 50% of the population is not?
- Slogster - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 3:27 pm:
* Republicans are gross.*
Are you 12?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 3:38 pm:
===He wants to make a move on the national stage. This is a way to get into the spotlight.===
On the state stage, Republicans could be seen as dangerous to women’s health… and on the record after Roe was overturned.
You are forgetting that.
- MyTwoCents - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 3:53 pm:
I’m with TNT, state money for private capital expenses is a bridge too far for me, and that’s across the board, not just for clinics. We’ve got enough governmental capital needs to worry about. I’m definitely on board with protecting the right of people from other states to come here and the clinicians in IL to do their jobs. But those types of laws in other states just prove “states rights” is only a cover for conservative ideology when convenient for the GOP.
Donnie Elgin, you’ve got 2 of the 5 that in all likelihood knowingly lied to Congress (if you don’t think Gorsuch & Kavanaugh knew they were going to vote to overturn Roe when they testified I’ve got an ocean view in New Mexico to sell you). So I don’t trust anything that’s written by 5 of the 6 GOP justices, their reputations are shot, and by extension that of the entire court, Roberts wishes notwithstanding. For me it’s more than the specific issue at play, it’s the fact that the justices said whatever it took to get the votes needed to get confirmed and we all should expect a higher level of integrity from our Supreme Court justices. I’d like to see those 2 subpoenaed to testify in the Senate about their confirmation testimony.
- illinifan - Friday, Jun 24, 22 @ 4:43 pm:
Hope the goal of the session is to support women and address how the medical facilities will be handle the influx from surrounding states. We also will be facing an increase of OB GYNs who have to come to our medical schools to learn about abortion care since that training is now prohibited in states that are banning abortions. We also need to address the legal ramifications that these others states may be suing or legally charging hotels, providers and any other Illinois resident who assist the pregnant woman.