* Hannah Meisel…

Illinois would become one of the first states to make so-called crisis pregnancy centers subject to the same consumer fraud standards as car dealerships, retailers and service-based businesses under a bill that will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker.

Upon the measure becoming law, crisis pregnancy centers could be sued under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act if they engage in “unfair methods of competition” or “deceptive acts or practices.” […]

Another measure pushed through by Democrats would require university and community college campuses to maintain at least one vending machine where students can buy the emergency contraceptive Plan B “morning after” pill – a medication that, if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, will stop or delay the female body from releasing an egg from an ovary. […]

Also this week, Democrats pushed through an initiative of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. House Bill 3326 would prohibit out-of-state law enforcement from getting access to Illinois’ automatic license plate reader data unless they stipulate they won’t be using that information to investigate someone seeking an abortion in Illinois or based on his or her immigration status. The bill passed on partisan lines and has yet to be heard in a Senate committee.

* On to reaction on SB1909 in the order received. AG Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul today applauded the Illinois House of Representatives’ passage of his legislation to hold crisis pregnancy centers that engage in deceptive practices accountable.

Illinois law establishes the fundamental rights of individuals to make autonomous decisions about their reproductive health. There have been reports in Illinois and nationwide of limited services pregnancy centers, often referred to as “crisis pregnancy centers,” using deceptive and misleading practices to spread false information and interfere with patients’ timely access to the full range of reproductive care.

“I witnessed deceptive crisis pregnancy center tactics firsthand on a visit to tour a Planned Parenthood health center in Illinois. People who appeared as though they might work there were outside attempting to divert us away from the health center,” Raoul said. “Patients report going to crisis pregnancy centers – sometimes even receiving exams and ultrasounds – thinking they were visiting a different clinic that offers the full range of reproductive care. This is an extreme violation of trust and patient privacy that should not occur in our state. I would like to thank members of the House for passing legislation to help my office hold those engaging in deceptive practices accountable.”

Senate Bill 1909, sponsored by Rep. Terra Costa Howard, will next go to the governor for approval.

“These fake clinics were set up specifically to deceive patients who are seeking reproductive healthcare,” said Rep. Costa Howard. “These so-called clinics actually put patients’ health at risk by interfering with their access to comprehensive care, and it’s time to hold them accountable for their deceptive practices.”

While crisis pregnancy centers’ advertising may offer general pregnancy-related services, these facilities do not offer the full range of reproductive care, and the mission of most crisis pregnancy centers is to convince pregnant people to carry to term and not have an abortion. Many provide misleading information overstating the risks associated with abortion, including conveying false claims that abortion causes cancer or infertility.

Some are located near clinics that do provide comprehensive reproductive care and use names similar to clinics to misdirect patients and prevent them from accessing the full range of information and care. Crisis pregnancy centers do not provide abortions or referrals for abortions. Many do not provide contraceptives or comprehensive prenatal care. They often do not have any medical professionals on-site, and they do not necessarily disclose any of these limitations in their online or in-person materials. They also may not keep medical records and personal information private and confidential.

In addition to initiating SB 1909, Attorney General Raoul has offered recommendations to patients seeking reproductive care to ensure they can access comprehensive health services. Patients should check to be certain that they are entering the correct facility because crisis pregnancy centers may be located near abortion clinics and use similar names to divert women away from abortion providers. They should also make sure the facility they plan to visit offers the full range of reproductive care options if that is what they seek.

* Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri…

“Everyone must have access to accurate, comprehensive, evidence-based, judgment-free health care and information from expert providers — especially when it comes to decisions about sexual health, pregnancy, and abortion. Deception and disinformation have no place in health care and neither do fake clinics designed to target and shame patients.

“I commend the General Assembly for advancing this important legislation — an example for other states — and I look forward to Governor Pritzker signing it into law.”

* Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick…

“For too long, so-called ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ have been intentionally deceiving pregnant Illinoisans in order to stop them from accessing abortion and other reproductive health services. Employees of these centers use scare tactics, misinformation, and pressure to prevent people from seeking abortions, emergency contraception or even birth control. Today, we applaud the Illinois General Assembly for passing new protections for consumers and ensuring Illinois continues to be a safe place to access reproductive health care, including abortions.

“We are pleased that people seeking reproductive care are now an explicitly protected group under the Consumer Protection Act. We look forward to working with the Attorney General and Illinois municipalities to hold so-called crisis pregnancy centers accountable for their deceptive practices. We thank Attorney General Kwame Raoul and chief co-sponsors Sen. Celina Villanueva, Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, Sen. Cristina Castro, Sen. Mattie Hunter, Sen. Adriane Johnson, and Rep. Terra Costa Howard.”

* Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City)…

“It is not enough for the far-left politicians running our state to merely enact laws to keep abortion legal – which they have the constitutional authority to do – but they are now engaged in using the power of government to target people with whom they disagree. Senate Bill 1909 is an intentionally vague measure to give the Illinois Attorney General complete autonomy to intimidate and harass crisis pregnancy centers. There has been no evidence provided to suggest crisis pregnancy centers engage in deceptive practices begging the question why do we need this legislation?

Women who seek help from a crisis pregnancy center do so by choice. The counseling, the assistance with baby clothes, diapers and other resources are given freely to anyone who wants them. No one is forced to go to a crisis pregnancy center. No state dollars are used to fund them. Yet under this legislation, which JB Pritzker will sign into law, anyone can file a complaint and trigger an investigation. Even people who have had no direct interaction with a crisis pregnancy can file a complaint. This legislation is the epitome of evil. It is important for all pro-life people to speak up because there is no end to the lengths the far left will do to ensure more babies are killed and more money is put in the hands of the monsters who make a living killing unborn babies.”

* Illinois Freedom Caucus…

We hear a lot about protecting women, we keep using the word women in reference to this bill. How far should we go to protect women?

Should we protect young women in high school restrooms from intact males in that space? Should we protect women in collegiate athletics from having into contact with males in their dressing rooms?

We all agree women need to be protected, and we acknowledge that a woman that is born female and only a biological female can give birth. So, if we are going to talk about protecting the health and safety of women in one space, we need to stop ignoring that there is deception in other spaces which is a tremendous danger to women as well.

Senate Bill 1909 is nothing more than a power grab to give the Attorney General carte blanche authority to target crisis pregnancy centers for any reason. Anyone – even people who have had no direct connection to a crisis pregnancy center – can lodge a complaint and essentially launch an investigation.

This legislation is not about protecting anyone but the monsters in our state who celebrate the brutal murder of innocent children as a ‘right.’ This bill is not only a violation of the First Amendment rights of those involved (mostly volunteers) at crisis pregnancy centers, but it also is an overt persecution of people whose only crime is disagreeing with the abortion death cult. Senate Bill 1909 will be challenged in court. It will be overturned, and we will continue to speak out against the extreme positions of the pro-abortion advocates in our state.

* Planned Parenthood Illinois CEO Jennifer Welch…

Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) is thrilled Senate Bill 1909 passed the House and is headed to the Governor’s desk. This bill holds anti-abortion Limited Service Pregnancy Centers (LSPC) accountable for spreading misinformation and deceiving patients who are seeking reproductive health care. At a time when access to health care is under attack like never before, it’s critical that people have access to accurate and unbiased information when making decisions about their health.

PPIL provides reliable and medically-accurate information to our patients about the full range of abortion care options. LSPCs routinely spread misinformation and use deceptive practices that lead to confusion, anxiety, and even physical harm for our patients.

We look forward to Governor JB Pritzker signing SB 1909 and ensuring individuals have the medically-accurate information and resources they need to make decisions that are best for their bodies, their lives and their futures.

* Rep. Adam Niemerg…

The Illinois House this week moved the state even further to the left with the passage of a series of pro-abortion, gun control, immigration, and trans agenda measures, according to State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich).

One bill the House approved (SB 1909) gives the Illinois Attorney General unchecked power to investigate and harass crisis pregnancy centers.

“Senate Bill 1909 is intentionally vague and is a response to a nonexistent problem,” Niemerg said. “There was a FOIA request made to the Attorney General’s office for these supposed complaints, and the results of that request showed there was a grand total of ZERO complaints against crisis pregnancy centers for violations of the state’s deceptive business practices act. They say they want choice, but they are passing legislation aimed at preventing any other choice than abortion.”

Another measure approved prevents Illinois law enforcement from providing law enforcement agencies in other states with information gathered from automatic license plate readers to help prosecute people seeking an abortion in Illinois and to use that data to detain people based on immigration status.

“Essentially sex traffickers can transport young women to Illinois to get abortions and law enforcement here can’t do anything about it because they are going to an abortion clinic,” Niemerg said. “We are also ignoring immigration laws with this legislation and ultimately putting people’s lives at risk all for the sake of advancing the far left’s radical agenda.”

Finally, the House also passed legislation (HB 218) paving the way to make gun manufacturers liable for the illegal use of firearms and another measure (SB 1344) requiring insurance companies to cover abortifacients, hormone therapies and PrEP medication for HIV treatment.

“On the way hand, the far-left refuses to hold criminals responsible for their actions by instead focusing on gun manufacturers and on the other hand they want everyone else in society not only to embrace their radical agenda but to also pay for it as well,” Niemerg said. “We are living Georg Orwell’s nightmare scenario every day in Illinois thanks to the extremists running our state.”

* And now, HB3326 react. Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick…

We applaud the passage in the House today of HB3326 and thank chief sponsor Rep. Ann Williams and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias for introducing it. Reproductive rights are under attack like never before, and we are surrounded by states with severe restrictions on abortion access. That’s why we must do all that we can to ensure that Illinois remains an oasis for safe access to abortions and other reproductive healthcare. HB3326 ensures that those coming to our state seeking healthcare can rest assured that their license plate data will be secure and protected, and that our Illinois law enforcement agencies and municipalities will never turn their information over to states seeking to persecute them. We urge the Senate to take up the final version of this bill and pass it quickly.