Sen. Don DeWitte says he had voted against the Parental Notification of Abortion Act.
State Senator Don DeWitte said in his e-newsletter that he did not support the repeal of the Parental Notification of Abortion Act, which just took effect June 1.
"I voted against the legislation and feel that in their role of protecting their children's medical and emotional health, parents and guardians should not be sidelined as children make an incredibly impactful decision that could carry lifelong emotional consequences," said DeWitte.
Illinois Democrats passed legislation last fall repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion (PNA) Act, which required that the parent or guardian of a minor must be notified prior to undergoing an abortion procedure. The law did not require permission from the guardian, just notification. Gov. Pritzker signed the repeal into law, and it took effect June 1.
Illinois has some of the laxest abortion laws in the country, according to the Chicago Tribune. Thousands of women from different states come to Illinois for abortions every year. In 2020, more than 36,000 Illinois women had abortions, while almost 10,000 out-of-state women traveled to Illinois for abortions.
"It is a grave injustice that the Illinois General Assembly and Governor Pritzker repealed this law," the Catholic Conference of Illinois said in a statement. "The Parental Notice of Abortion Act was a broadly-supported, reasonable safeguard that allowed Illinois' parents to properly exercise love and care for their children."
"Prior to today, pregnant young people could make any medical decision without barriers except abortion. Now thankfully they have the same right to make a confidential decision about their health care as everyone else," said Emily Werth, staff attorney at the ACLU of Illinois, which lobbied in support of the repeal. "Today abortion is treated just like all other forms of health care in this state."
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