This afternoon, a measure removing dangerous “trigger” language from the Illinois abortion law and eliminating discriminatory provisions from Illinois law that deny insurance coverage of abortion for women who depend on Medicaid and State Employee Health Insurance cleared the Illinois Senate by a vote of 33 to 22. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Heather Steans, is now on its way to the Governor Rauner’s desk.
The following statement can be attributed to ACLU of Illinois Reproductive Rights Project Director Lorie Chaiten:
The Illinois General Assembly today took an important step to protect the women of Illinois against the reckless reproductive health policies of Washington, D.C.
House Bill 40 is necessary to help ensure that every woman in Illinois can make her own health care decisions and have access to safe medical care, regardless of what happens under the Trump administration. By removing both the “trigger” language and the discriminatory provisions that restrict Medicaid and State Employee Health Insurance from current Illinois law, House Bill 40 advances critical efforts to ensure that women’s reproductive health care will be protected in Illinois.
Illinois lawmakers know it is best to trust women to make their own decisions about health care. We thank Representative Sara Feigenholtz for her leadership in the House and Senator Heather Steans for her leadership in the Senate. Illinois women deserve this protection.