According to a Chicago Sun-Times story today, a local legislator’s proposal to beef up the requirements for facilities that provide abortion services in Illinois appears doomed.
Sponsored by 96th District Rep. Darlene Senger, R-Naperville, House Bill 3156 would ensure that providers of the procedure comply with the stipulations for all ambulatory surgical centers.
Legislators debated the matter at length Wednesday before it was called for a vote. The 57 House members backing the bill fell three votes short of the necessary constitutional majority.
“The bill’s on ‘postponed consideration,’” Senger said Thursday afternoon.
If a proposal receives at least 47 votes, it can be brought back for a subsequent vote. But because Friday is the final day of the current legislative session, time is short.
Although Senger has described the measure as a way to guarantee equal access and safety for women who receive early-term abortions, supporters of the right to choose call it an attempt to limit the option for those who have a constitutionally protected right to undergo the procedure.
“I think the debate yesterday was incredibly revelatory,” said Ed Yohnka, spokesman for the ACLU of Chicago. “There was a lot of talk about how this bill singles out abortion and subjects it to the kinds of requirements that liposuction, LASIK surgery and other procedures aren’t. It was clear there were a number of members who had enough concerns about it that they couldn’t support it.”
