HR0789 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0789 LRB102 27060 MST 38402 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois has been and continues to be a leader among the states in reproductive health and women's rights, including in the recent passage of the comprehensive Reproductive Health Act of 2019 and in repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion Act in 2021; and

WHEREAS, Reproductive health care is a deeply intimate and personal decision that women and people who can become pregnant must be empowered to make for themselves; and

WHEREAS, A person's autonomy and ability to participate in the economic and social aspects of daily life are implicated by their ability to control their reproductive health; and

WHEREAS, Access to reproductive health care is often integral to the healing and recovery of survivors of sexual assault and abuse; and

WHEREAS, Despite reproductive health care's strong impact on the mental and physical health of women and people who can become pregnant, other states around the nation have taken alarming and regressive steps to roll back key protections for women and their reproductive rights, in clear contradiction of the constitutional principles expounded by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade; and

WHEREAS, Other states around the country are stripping away women's access to reproductive health care, including Texas, where a law was recently enacted banning abortion after six weeks and offering the prospect of $10,000 rewards for successful lawsuits against anyone who "aids or abets" a woman who gets an abortion once fetal cardiac activity can be detected; and

WHEREAS, A bill has been introduced in Missouri to allow private citizens to sue anyone who helps a Missouri resident obtain an abortion out of state, using the novel legal strategy behind the restrictive law in Texas, in a clear attempt to punish the thousands of residents that are forced to travel to Illinois for reproductive health-care services since Missouri passed one of the country's strictest abortion laws in 2019; and

WHEREAS, Missouri politicians would even prohibit lifesaving care for patients facing ectopic pregnancies; and

WHEREAS, Nationwide, anti-choice extremists are pushing to go even further, such as in Montana, where legislation would not only force a rape survivor to carry a rapist's child but also co-parent with their rapist; and

WHEREAS, Donald Trump called for women to be punished for having abortions and, in Texas, extreme politicians are taking action on his call, introducing legislation that could make it possible to subject women who choose abortion to the death penalty; and

WHEREAS, These efforts to undermine people's reproductive rights, including those recently taken in states such as Missouri, Texas, and Florida, are clear attempts to catalyze a repeal of Roe v. Wade under the newly conservative Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, Despite attempts from Republican members in this State to follow the concerning trends seen in these other states and roll back important protections for women our State has enshrined, including attempts to repeal the Reproductive Health Act in bills, including HB 1893 and HB 3043, and institute regressive and counterproductive barriers to access through bills, including HB 261, HB 791, HB 683, HB 827, and HB 3041, among others, Illinois continues to stand with women and protect their reproductive rights; and

WHEREAS, Illinois is committed to remaining a leader among states in protecting reproductive health and women's rights and calls on other states to join Illinois in its commitment; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare our commitment to ensuring access to quality health care, including reproductive health care, for women in Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Congressional Delegation to support federal legislation and other efforts to ensure women's health and reproductive rights continue to be protected and upheld to the fullest extent; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we oppose any effort to punish those who seek a constitutionally protected abortion; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we condemn the efforts of those in Illinois and in other states, including Missouri, Texas, and Florida, to undermine women and their reproductive health, and we call on states across the nation to join us in our commitment to women's health; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor, all Illinois constitutional officers, and all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation in order to bring further awareness to the importance of women's health and reproductive rights for the residents of the State of Illinois and to be a model state for the rest of the country.