Springfield | An Illinois Republican state senator has filed a bill to outlaw abortion, but his measure is getting pushback from his own party. At issue is whether his abolitionist position would result in jail time for women who have abortions.
Sen. Neil Anderson from Andalusia says it won’t. But gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey says it could, and stated his opposition to SB 3572 which Anderson filed on Feb. 5.
“We are outlawing abortion,” Anderson said from the podium at a news conference Feb. 17. “There’s nobody up here that wants to put women in jail. That’s nowhere in the bill. Gender is not listed in this bill. We’re asking for equal protection under the law for our unborn neighbors.”
Anderson’s bill defines the unborn as a person, making possible murder prosecutions for abortion providers. “The important part of the bill is deterrence,” he said. A second bill would reinstate the death penalty.
Anderson was joined by several pastors who agree with his position, including a pastor from Arizona who is prominent in the abortion abolition movement. And the Illinois Family Institute (IFI) issued a statement in support of the legislation.
“This is an opportunity for faithful Christians to speak with clarity and compassion, proclaiming the truth that every human life—born and preborn—is created by Almighty God in His image and for His purposes,” IFI Executive Director David Smith said in a news release.
Southern Baptists have held firm in their support for pro-life positions, but at recent conventions, messengers have refrained from abolitionist statements that might allow for prosecution of women who have abortions.
It appears unlikely that the bill, dubbed informally “abolish abortion-define person,” will make it out of committee. Republican leader John Curran removed Anderson from two leadership committees after he defied Curran’s order to withdraw the bills. Curran said the legislation is a definite “no” for the party.
Facing three candidates in the Republican primary election March 17, and hoping for another face-off with Democratic incumbent J. B. Pritzker, Bailey held his party’s position. “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,” Bailey said. “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.”
Anderson, meanwhile, characterized his stance in religious terms. “I’m called to do God’s will and stand for justice, nothing more and nothing less,” Anderson said. “I’m going to pick up my cross every day and follow.”
–IB staff, with additional reporting by Capitol News Illinois and WAND-TV