March 2, 2004
Dear ACLU of Illinois Action Alert Member,

Tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m., the House Human Services Committee will consider House Bill 4643, which requires women seeking an abortion to undergo a state mandated by their lecture. We hope you will call your state representative today and urge opposition to this state mandated lecture on abortion!

House Bill 4643 requires physicians to provide misleading and inaccurate information to their patients. Specifically, the legislation mandates that physicians give women seeking abortion a state mandated lecture designed to dissuade the woman from choosing abortion. If a physician failed to provide this lecture (in person, at least 24 hours before the abortion) House Bill 4643 threatens the physician with disciplinary action, civil penalties and private lawsuits. Even worse, the state mandated lecture authorized by House Bill 4643 requires a physician to tell his/her patient about adverse psychological effects from an abortion –even though there is no substantiated scientific proof that such risks actually exist.

We understand that this is late notice, but we hope you will contact your state representative today and tell him/her that you are opposed to House Bill 4643! Members of the House Human Services Committee and their phone numbers in Springfield are listed below:

Members of the House Human Services Committee

William Delgado, Chair – 3rd District – (217) 782-0480

Patricia Bellock – 47th District – (217) 782-1448

Sara Feigenholtz – 12th District – (217) 782-8062

Mary Flowers – 31st District – (217) 782-4207

Constance Howard – 34th District – (217) 782-6476

Rosemary Kurtz – 64th District – (217) 782-0432

Patricia Reid Lindner – 50th District – (217) 782-1486

Kathleen Ryg – 59th District – (217) 782-0499

Ed Sullivan – 51st District – (217) 782-3696

ACTION NEEDED

1. Please contact your state representative and urge your state representative to oppose House Bill 4643. You can find out who your state representative is by going to http://www.legis.state.il.us/.


2. If possible, please email ACLU Legislative Director Mary Dixon at mdixon3 @ attglobal.net to let her know you were able to contact your representative. Her ability to lobby is greatly enhanced by knowing that legislators are hearing from their constituents.