In order to keep his coalition of Republican legislators together, Governor Bruce Rauner’s apparently decided to betray his lifelong commitment to reproductive rights and throw the women of Illinois under a bus.
The 1975 bill starts by stating its “intention” to “reasonably regulate abortion . . . without in any way restricting . . . the right of a woman to an abortion.”
The law could even result in doctors who perform abortions getting prosecuted for murder. Why? Well, let’s go back to the law’s declaration that “the unborn child is a human being from the time of conception”—or from the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg.
OK, Cook County prosecutors aren’t likely to charge a doctor with murder for performing an abortion or prescribing birth control. But I’m sure there are prosecutors in other, more conservative downstate counties who would relish a chance to play to the antichoice crowd by throwing a doctor or two into jail.
But of course, we all know what happened in that election. President Donald Trump’s already named one Supreme Court justice—Neil Gorsuch. Given the advanced age of some of other justices, I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump gets to name another justice. Now, Roe seems a little more precarious.
On April 14, Governor Rauner announced he planned to veto HB40 if it were to pass the house and senate, on the grounds that it was too controversial.
