Proponents of an act to repeal the parental notice of abortion hope to get the bill out of committee and to the floor for a vote before the end of the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session May 31. The Act would repeal current state law requiring women under age 18 to notify one parent, legal guardian, or grandparent at least 48 hours prior to undergoing an abortion.
Spokesperson for Illinois Right to Life Action, Amy Gehrke, called Parental Notification of Abortion a “commonsense law” deserving careful consideration because it is “a surgical procedure or chemical procedure that, as we all know, poses both mental and physical risks to young girls.”
The repeal is not popular among the citizens of Illinois. In March, the Tarrance Group released a survey showing 72% of Illinoisans agree or strongly agree, if a minor were seeking an abortion “the law should require her parent or guardian to be notified before the procedure.” The survey also found 58% of those who label themselves as “pro-choice” support parental notice.
Currently, if a minor is unable to go to a family member or guardian to meet the notification requirement, a judge may give permission through a judicial bypass. The proposed bill has the support of the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, and Planned Parenthood, who say the judicial bypass process is too tedious and traumatizing for young girls.
Gehrke believes that actually works in favor of parental notification. “If a young girl is not mature enough to handle going before a judge,” Gehrke said, “she certainly isn’t mature enough to be making a decision as grave as whether or not to have an abortion without adult guidance.”
Dr. Brook Bello, the founder of a foundation against human trafficking, testified against repealing the current law earlier this spring. Bello, a former human trafficking victim who was forced to undergo multiple abortions, believes she may have been rescued sooner had a parental notice law been in effect.
That’s why she urged Illinois lawmakers to keep the parental notification requirement currently in the state’s abortion regulations. “I beg of you, Illinois. I plead, Illinois, to not reverse, to please notify parents… Give them a safe place to call and notify parents.” Watch her testimony here.
The bill to repeal the Parental Notice Act was introduced in the State Senate as SB 2190 by Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago), and in the House as HB 1797 by Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin), with House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch (D-Westchester) serving as one of the bill’s main co-sponsors.