Springfield | Two bills are pending in the Illinois General Assembly that would forbid employers from considering “reproductive health decisions” in the selection and retention of employees. House Bill (HB) 4867 and Senate Bill (SB) 3492 would amend the Illinois Human Rights Act include the bills call the “unlawful discrimination of reproductive health decisions.”
The HB 4867 and SB 3492 define “reproductive health decisions” to include decisions regarding abortion, contraception, sterilization, and artificial reproductive technologies. The bills contain no religious exemptions. According to the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF):
- Churches would not be allowed to hire only those who share and follow the church’s teachings on contraception, sterilization, abortion, and artificial reproductive technologies.
- Christian schools would not be allowed to hire only those teachers who share and willingly communicate the school’s beliefs about the sanctity of human life.
- Pregnancy care centers would not be allowed to hire only pro-life individuals.
The House Human Services Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on HB 4867 on Thursday, March 21, at 8:30 a.m. in Room 122B of the Capitol Building in Springfield. Witness slips may be submitted in opposition to the bill to the House Human Services Committee by the close of business on Wednesday, March 20.
For churches or even individuals concerned about completing witness slips and their tax status, ADF’s Dana Harris shared, “As a private citizen you can personally support or oppose legislation without limitation. Even tax-exempt churches and religious organizations can support legislation so long as its supportive activities are an ‘insubstantial’ part of the nonprofit’s overall activities.”
To complete a witness slip, Harris provided these instructions:
- Go to the webpage
- Click the “Create Witness Slips” button
- On the page that comes up, find HB 4867-HCA1 [not HB 4867]
- Click the small icon for creating a witness slip (it looks like a little pencil writing on a pad)
- On the page that comes up, fill out the form (including clicking the “opponent” radio button, the “Record Of Appearance Only” check box, and the terms of agreement check box)
- Finally, click the Create Slip button.
To contact your Illinois House and Senate representatives and don’t know who they are or need their contact information, you may find them through the Illinois State Board of Elections website.
HB 4867 was filed by Rep. Ann Moeller (D-Elgin) and SB 3492 was filed by Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights).
To learn more about ADF, visit ADF Church Alliance.