During a Republican candidates forum Tuesday, several contenders in the Illinois gubernatorial race were asked if they would push for changes in state law surrounding abortions if the Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling overturns the decision in the landmark Roe v. Wade case.
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s policies as “extreme,” and while he did not say explicitly that he would work to make abortions illegal in the state, he did say that he would change some laws passed by the current governor’s administration, including changes to parental notification laws.
“As I drive throughout the state….I’m hearing that he’s extreme,” Irvin said. “He’s extreme in the fact that he just signed into law the ability to allow a teenager to walk into an abortion clinic and get an abortion without their parent being notified. A kid can’t get an aspirin in high school without their parent being notified, yet JB Pritzker thought it was acceptable to sign into law legislation that allowed a teenager to walk into an abortion clinic and get an abortion without their parent being notified.
“That’s abhorrent,” he added.
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Attorney Max Solomon called himself “unapologetically and uncompromisingly pro-life,” and said that he would work to ban abortion in the state.
“I actually believe that life begins before we are formed,” he said. “Yes, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, and I pray it is overturned as a matter of fact, I would push and I would govern from the perspective of making abortion illegal in the state of Illinois.”
State Sen. Paul Schimpf also criticized Pritzker’s policies as creating “the most extreme abortion laws” in the country, and while he stopped short of saying he would campaign to ban all abortions, he did say that he wanted to sign legislation that would move the state “closer to the mainstream” of American thought on the issue.
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“We have the most extreme abortion laws in this state,” he said. “A preborn child can be aborted up to the moment of live birth for any reason, and have it paid for at taxpayer expense. When I am governor, I will sign any legislation that moves us closer to the mainstream.”
According to a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion, it is expected that the Roe v. Wade ruling will be overturned, potentially paving the way for states to completely ban abortion in all situations.
Numerous states have already passed legislation that would do so in anticipation of that ruling, which is expected to be released this summer.
