Pro-Life Action League

. . . because action speaks louder than words.

League history, NOW v. Scheidler, Action News, Joe Scheidler, League staff

Q & A on abortion, the unborn child, where we stand on the issues and more

Helping abortion-bound women choose life for their babies

Unmasking the truth about abortion in the public square

Our youth outreach, raising up a new generation of pro-life leaders

Abortion industry converts tell the inside story

News and commentary from the Pro-Life Action League

News and commentary from the Pro-Life Action League

Home Hotline Blog Article

Setback for Illinois Parental Notice Law

Posted by John Jansen (March 5, 2008 at 4:10 pm)

Federal Judge David Coar—he of NOW v. Scheidler fame—ruled Friday that Illinois’ Parental Notice of Abortion Act was still not ready to be enforced. The law, passed in 1995, was initially held up due to Coar’s insistence that the provisions for judicial bypass were not expressed clearly enough.

No Parental Notice Law Yet; Just Bureaucracy and Red Tape

So, red tape has ensued. This law, which Thomas More Society chief counsel Tom Brejcha describes as “…defensible, constitutional law”, has been held up for well over a decade over details. Judge Coar placed an injunction on the law until the Illinois Supreme Court spelled out the procedures, and then we waited.

First, we had to wait for the Illinois Supreme Court to spell out the judicial bypass procedures, and then for Judge Coar to approve them. He was urged to do so by Attorney General Lisa Madigan last summer and has been sitting on the case ever since.

Coar has declared that the procedures passed by the Illinois Supreme Court are “contradictory and incomplete” and he still refuses to lift the injunction. Madigan’s office has said they are reviewing the case now and considering all options, including appeal.

35 states have laws similar to the Illinois law. They have been tried at the Supreme Court and found constitutional. 80% of Illinoisans support this law. There is absolutely no reason to wait any longer. This law needs to be enforced before more young women incur the emotional and physical pain of abortion without their parents’ knowledge.

Ask Madigan to Appeal Coar’s Decision

Contact Attorney General Lisa Madigan and let her know that Judge Coar’s decision must be appealed and this law enforced as soon as possible. E-mail her office here or, preferably, call one of the numbers below:

Don’t Put Down That Phone!

And, while you’re in a mode to contact your elected officials, also call your representative in the Illinois House and ask him to oppose H.B. 5615, the “Reproductive Justice and Access Act”, one of the most sweeping pro-abortion bills ever proposed in the state. As League Executive Director Ann Scheidler has plainly said, “This bill would cement Illinois’ status as the abortion capital of the midwest.”

The bill, introduced by Representatives Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) and Rosemary Mulligan (R-Des Plaines) would:

How You Can Help Defeat H.B. 5615

Play at Chicago Theater Deals with Abortion

A Chicago theatre called Infamous Commonwealth is currently running a play called Keely and Du, in which a pregnant woman who wants an abortion is kidnapped by a group of overzealous pro-lifers intent on forcing her to have her baby. Written in 1993, the play is somewhat dated, and no doubt biased in favor of the “pro-choice” view, but one of the actors who plays one of the overzealous pro-lifers has visited the League offices on two occasions and spoken with us in a good-faith attempt to understand what motivates us, ultimately with the aim of helping him do justice to his role—and that we find admirable.

Keely and Du runs through March 23. Showtimes are Thursday through Saturday at 8:30pm, and Sunday at 3:30pm, at the West Stage of the Raven Theatre Complex, 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago.

If you go, try to go on Thursday, March 6, or Thursday, March 20, as after the show on those two nights, a discussion will be held about abortion, and you’ll be able to throw in your two cents.

For reservations, call 312-458-9780. Tickets are $20, with a $5 discount for students and seniors. Get more information here.

[Back to Top]

Posted in Law and Politics, Pro-Life Events. Follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.