Earlier today, a group of organizations opposed to abortion rights sent a letter to members of the Illinois General Assembly urging the members to use the budget as a means of undoing House Bill 40, adopted and signed into law by the Governor last year.
The following statement on that letter is from Lorie Chaiten, Director of the Women and Reproductive Rights Project at the ACLU of Illinois:
When it comes to the most important decisions in life – including whether to become a parent – a woman must be able to consider all options available to her, regardless of how little money she makes or how she is insured. Last year Illinois took a big step in respecting this goal for all women. Because of House Bill 40 being enacted into law, the State of Illinois joined the list of states recognizing that coverage for comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion, is critical to women’s health.
Politicians should not be allowed to deny a woman’s health coverage simply because she is poor. Attempting to turn back the clock through a budget maneuver should not be tolerated. Politicians have no business controlling the decision-making process for women regarding their most personal health care decisions.