A new bill in the Illinois Senate which could be voted on any day now, would force healthcare providers to refer for abortions and have disastrous results for the state.
The Pro-Life Action League is urging you to call your State Senator at their Springfield office and tell them to Vote NO on SB 1564! Get the Springfield office numbers right here.
Under current Illinois law, which has been in place for nearly 20 years, healthcare providers have the right not to counsel or refer for any services which would violate their conscience.
SB 1564 uses the force of government to impose new and unnecessary obligations that are contrary to this longstanding law that appropriately protects both the freedom of conscience and patient care.
If passed, SB 1564 would:
- Require healthcare providers to refer or transfer patients to conscience-violating services like abortion.
- Force healthcare providers to discuss the “benefits” of abortion.
- Force pro-life pregnancy resource centers to send women to abortion clinics in direct contradiction of their core mission.
- Open the door to lawsuits against providers who did not provide information on “legal treatment options” in a “timely manner”.
- Exacerbate the existing shortage of healthcare providers—91% of faith-based physicians said in 2008 that they would rather stop practicing medicine than be forced to violate their conscience.
- Possibly endanger Illinois’ federal funding, as current federal law requires that state governments may not discriminate against providers who do not wish to perform or refer for abortions.
You can get a full legal analysis of the bill from our friends at Americans United for Life right here.
Please call your State Senator today and tell them to Vote NO on SB 1564! Get the phone numbers for your State Senator’s Springfield offices right here.