The Illinois House voted 62-51 late Wednesday (Oct. 27) evening in Springfield to repeal the state law requiring parents of minors seeking abortions be notified. The Senate approved HB370, the Youth Health and Safety Act, which included the amendment to repeal, on a 32-22 vote the day prior. Governor J.B. Pritzker has expressed his support for the repeal and is expected to sign it.
Current state law requires women under the age of 18 to notify a parent, legal guardian, or grandparent at least 48 hours prior to an abortion. It does not require permission or approval be obtained, only notification. About 1,000 minors in Illinois undergo an abortion annually, according to Catholic News Agency. The Parental Notification Act was the last remaining pro-life law left in the state.
Amy Gehrke, spokesperson for Illinois Right to Life Action, condemned the bill’s passage, “In Illinois, minor girls cannot get a body piercing, a tattoo, or even receive an aspirin without parental consent. Enabling children to have abortions without their parents’ involvement is simply appalling.”
Gehrke also expressed concern for the “rights of parents or the health and safety of minor girls” including those “at the mercy of human traffickers and sexual predators.”
If the governor signs it as expected, the bill will take effect June 1, 2022.