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Birkett, Madigan square off on abortion

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Illinois

Apparently, the 2002 attorney geneneral’s race has never quite ended.

DuPage County State’s Atty. Joseph Birkett said he is prepared to go to court within weeks to try to revive a 1995 state law that bars minors from obtaining abortions without notifying a parent.

Three months ago, the Illinois Supreme Court issued key rules that had been needed for the Parental Notice of Abortion Act to take effect.

Since then, Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan has reviewed the issue, but has not yet tried to overturn the federal court order that has left the law dormant for 11 years.

“She’s got to take a stand,” Birkett said this week. “The law is now complete, so we need to move to lift the injunction. … It’s not a complicated issue. It’s relatively simple and straightforward.”

Might this be the first shot in the 2010 AG campaign?

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 9:54 am

Comments

Oh, it ended as soon as the votes were counted. He has a point, a minor cannot go to a tanning booth, get ears pierced, but can get an abortion, that is ludicrous on it’ face. Birkett has a point. I do fear that he is becoming one of the perennial candidates liek Oberwies, Cox and Rauschy. Sad thing is that he should have been AG and Lt Gov, but the voters ahve spoken…twice.

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 9:58 am
No. What Burkett is doing is bring some attention to himself. It seems many believe he is one of the last of the Mohicans.

What he says is right too. Isn’t it appropriate to expect the AG to do her job? Lets not make more politics out of this - do what the law requires.

Thats all.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 10:00 am
What’s a Birkett?

Comment by Snark Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 10:23 am
The 2010 AG campaign?

Does anybody really think that A.G. Madigan will seek another term?

She’s moving up. If a Dem takes the White House in 2008, she has to be absolutely at the top of the list for a federal judgeship (she would be great on the 7th Cir.) and if they don’t, then Blago or Quinn will be forced to step aside (by primary voters if necessary) to clear her way to the gov’s office.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t rule out that Birkett is picking this fight to gain pub for a race against Sen. Durbin.

Comment by Skeeter Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 10:40 am
The GOP in Illinois is in dire need of a credible spokesman capable of offering the party a sense of direction. Expect Oberwiese, Brady and Birkett each to take their turn at the podium in an attempt to rally the base.

Comment by Veritas Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 11:06 am
I view this as a weak attempt by Birkett to protect his butt from a challenger in his re-election bid for DuPage State’s Attorney in 2008. Forget about him being the sacrifical lamb against Durbin; I don’t believe Birkett is that stupid to do that.

Comment by fedup dem Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 11:33 am
[…] Rich Miller is inviting comments on the Trib story. […]

Pingback by Reverse Spin » She’s got the far left covered… Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 11:53 am
He’d have to be a complete idiot to run against Madigan for Attorney General again. She lost support in her first run against him because she was viewed as being inexperienced, which was the only ding he had against her. She doesn’t have that ding anymore and would bury him. Anti-abortion isn’t a stance that plays real well in IL, we may not like it but seem happy with the laws on the books. Lisa would probably prefer to be “forced” by a judge to lift the injunction rather than being seen to be lifting itself herself.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 12:13 pm
I harken to Froelich’s comments; fight tomorrow’s battles, not yesterday’s. Using this wedge issue will serve Joe well in DuPage, and perhaps in one or two suburban Congressional districts (although, in neither as well as it would have 10 years ago). However, I continue to believe that it is and will become increasingly almost impossible to elect to a significant statewide office a candidate who bases his public persona on pro-life, pro-gun and anti-gay stances.

I think the great middle doesn’t care a lot about politicians’ personal beliefs on those issues, but they care big time about someone they fear is bent on imposing them on others. For example, that’s why I believe Bill Brady has a great future; he isn’t scary to the great middle because those issues aren’t his primary persona (he will have to be careful about what he says and does in contested primaries). As always, I may be wrong.

Comment by steve schnorf Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 1:22 pm
Lisa should really move it on this issue, as most sane people support minor notification.

It isn’t “anti-choice” at all, but perhaps actually acknowledging that little fact might make the rest of the liberals look bad, as every single time you open a paper to read about the issue, when it is a liberal, they lump anything that smacks of a regulation of some sort into the “anti-choice” category.

I’m pro-choice, but if I had a teenager (and I don’t, by the way), I’d sure as heck want to know about it if my kid were having a medical procedure performed. What if something happens and the kid gets ill in the process, or something? Tell your parents, for crying out loud. If the family is seriously messed-up and abusive, then they can have a social worker intervene in some way, I’m sure.

Illinois is just looking oh-so-bad over this.

Lisa is doing very well on other issues, so hopefully, she will move on this sensible issue when someone talks some sense into her. It won’t make her look “anti-choice” at all. We know she’s pro-choice already.

Comment by Angie Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 2:56 pm
IMHO, methinks Mr. Burkett is not positioning himself for AG - but to run against Lisa for GOV. in 2010. He clearly thought he was (for some unfathomable reason) the better of the two on the JBT ticket this time around. As with so many in politics, his ego is prompting him to try to fail upwards (cf George W. Bush). I guess since he was never convicted of anything with regard to all of the reprehensible behavior of prosecutors in the Cruz case - at least not yet - he assumes that by comparison to the stellar combination of felons-to-be and Bland Rich Guys on the R side, his peculiar brand of so-called conservatism will yield a base that can topple the incredible D advantage in this State right now.

Let’s just say that, as with her father, Mr. Burkett underestimates the Attorney General at his peril. In electoral terms, she will reach down his throat and pull his lungs out.

Comment by Mr. Luxury Yacht Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 3:21 pm
If Birkett is such an eagle-eyed law enforcer, how was one of his employees able to steal half a million dollars from a fund meant to compensate victims? If you can’t police your own people, what hope do you have against the general public?

Comment by Not So Fast Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 4:49 pm
Way to go Attorney General Joe Birkett!

“Take A Stand”

Comment by One_Mcmad Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 5:14 pm
Seems to me Birkett is trying to keep his name in the papers and this is a “good” way for him to do it. I don’t agree with his way of doing it, but he’s doing it.

And if Lisa runs for Gov, and he runs against her, she would bury him.

Comment by Tessa Wednesday, Dec 20, 06 @ 5:18 pm
It’s all political grandstanding but that’s not the point. Can you imagine the family life a child must have, to feel that you can’t go to your parents for comfort and support with one of the biggest decisions she will ever make in her life. You can’t legislate family relationships and that’s where it all starts. Pitty!

Comment by East Side Lou Thursday, Dec 21, 06 @ 7:58 am
Re: “You canâ€™t legislate family relationships and thatâ€™s where it all starts.”

It is a medical procedure. Why shouldn’t a parent be entitled to know if the minor girl is going under anesthesia? What if something goes wrong, even in a rare case, and then that poor parent may never have gotten to talk to that minor if (knock on wood it never happens) someone has serious complications that end in death. It could happen, and so why is abortion exempt from parental notification?

Lisa? Are you ever on Cap Fax? Move it on this issue, please. It is a bipartisan-supported, common-sense issue.

Comment by Angie Thursday, Dec 21, 06 @ 4:27 pm