Illinois Governor repeals parental notification for when minors seek an abortion

A requirement that doctors notify the parents of a minor seeking an abortion is no longer the law in Illinois. Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed into law a contentious measure to repeal the 1995 Parental Notice of Abortion Act.

The legislation barely passed out of the Democratic-controlled legislature during the fall session with some Democrats joining Republicans in opposition. The repeal passed in a 62-51 House vote and a 64-52 vote in the Senate.

Those who supported the repeal, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, have said the law did nothing to protect the most vulnerable young people and those living in unsafe and unstable households. “With reproductive rights under attack across the nation, Illinois is once again establishing itself as a leader in ensuring access to health care services,” Pritzker said.

A conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court signaled this month that it would uphold a Mississippi ban and may overturn a nationwide right to abortion that has existed under the court’s historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

Illinois Republicans criticized the move by Pritzker and other Democrats as stripping parents of the right to know what’s happening in their daughters’ lives. GOP Rep. Avery Bourne called it “out-of-touch” with a majority of Illinois residents and said it puts girls across the Midwest in danger.

“Parents deserve the right to know if their minor child is seeking any major medical procedure, especially one like an abortion where there can be serious short- and long-term consequences,” Bourne said. “Instead, today the Democrat majority has chosen to recklessly push those rights to the wayside.”

Supporters of the notification law called it “common sense.” They noted that under the 1995 act, a minor in a family situation where notifying parents or other relatives would result in harm can go to a judge who then decides whether she is mature and emotionally sound enough to decide for herself.