* WAND…

Democratic lawmakers are bashing a Republican bill to ban abortion in Illinois just days after the sponsor celebrated with advocates.

Sen. Neil Anderson’s plan states that anyone choosing to have an abortion could face the same charges as someone killing a person.

House Democrats said this bill is extreme and criminalizes abortion patients, people going through IVF treatment and their healthcare providers.

“This bill opens the door to first-degree murder charges for women and doctors, all by granting constitutional rights to a fertilized egg,” said Rep. Dagmara Avelar (D-Romeoville). “There are no exemptions — not for rape, incest, or IVF.”

* Darren Bailey was the only GOP gubernatorial candidate to publicly come out against the bill and urged Sen. Anderson to pull it earlier this week…

Former State Senator and candidate for Governor, Darren Bailey, is issuing the following statement on Senate Bill 3572.

“When women and families are facing a crisis, they need understanding, support, and real help, not the threat of jail time. Criminalizing women in these situations doesn’t solve problems, it deepens hurt and pushes people away from the alternatives and support that could help them.

We should be leading with compassion and practical solutions that strengthen families and build trust. I am pro-life, but I believe we also have to face reality: approaches like this pull people away and make it harder to move Illinois forward. I urge Senator Neil Anderson to pull this legislation.”

Republican Senators Seth Lewis and Darby Hills also put out statements against the bill, and Senate Republican Leader John Curran has spoken against the bill as well, calling it extreme and saying it’s not a position supported by the GOP caucus.

* Meanwhile, the Illinois Family Institute, whose political arm has endorsed Ted Dabrowski for governor, is backing the legislation. From the Center Square…

The Illinois Family Institute supports the bill, with executive director David Smith saying it reflects the belief that life begins at conception and deserves full legal protection.

“If we believe that life begins at conception, and if we believe that all human life deserves human rights protections, then we need to fight for the life of the baby — the rights of the baby,” Smith told TCS. “If somebody intentionally and with malice of forethought aborts human life in their womb, then they need to be held accountable for that.”

Smith rejected claims that the proposal is politically reckless or motivated by personal ambition, arguing instead that it reflects moral clarity rather than electoral calculation.

I reached out to Dabrowski’s campaign yesterday for his position on Anderson’s bill and received no response.

I contacted the other GOP gubernatorial candidates too. From Rick Heidner’s spox…

Rick is not familiar with all the specifics of the bill. He is generally pro life. He’d like to see Republicans stop the infighting in Springfield and work together towards making the lives of our citizens better.

Sheriff James Mendrick did not respond.

* I also reached out to Don Tracy’s U.S. Senate campaign. Tracy has also been endorsed by IFI. His campaign’s response…

Life is valuable and should be protected. But legislation must be thoughtful and responsible. Don does not support penalties for women who seek abortions.

If we want to reduce abortions in Illinois, we should focus on supporting families, strengthening adoption, and expanding resources for women, not pursuing measures that divide our communities and distract from building consensus around protecting life.

* Politico’s Shia Kapos spoke with Cardinal Blase Cupich about the bill…

Playbook: An Illinois state senator has proposed imposing the death penalty on women who receive abortions and people involved in IVF. Where does the church stand on that?

Cupich: “The church has never been in favor of punishing women who have abortions and surely we’ve also been against the death penalty, so that bill would not receive any support on the part of the church.”

He pointed to the pope’s recent comments on consistency in “pro-life” advocacy, saying, “You cannot consider yourself pro-life if you’re against abortion and yet for the death penalty. The pope made that very clear, and I think that [bill] is a non-starter for us. People in the pro-life community need to examine themselves about those kinds of issues.”

…Adding… Click here to read a 2022 open letter from pro-life organizations sent to state lawmakers after Roe v. Wade was struck down, stating that “we do not support any measure seeking to criminalize or punish women and we stand firmly opposed to including such penalties in legislation.” The letter was signed by former Illinois Federation for Right to Life President Dawn Behnke.