Abortion Bill: Legislation Allowing State Funding Passes, Heads To Rauner

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Legislation that would expand access to abortion and keep it legal in Illinois — even if the landmark Roe v. Wade case is struck down — passed the Senate on Wednesday, but faces one more obstacle. Gov. Bruce Rauner has promised to veto the measure, saying he opposes any proposal that would allow the state to cover abortions for employees and Medicaid recipients.

His stance has been praised by Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, who last month released a statement thanking the governor.

"I thank him for this principled stand," Cupich said in an April 19 statement. "Abortion is a controversial issue in this country, but using public money to provide abortions should not be. The federal government prohibits the practice, and polls show a substantial segment of the American public reject it."

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Rauner last month called publicly funded abortion a "divisive" issue, according to CLTV, pledging to veto the measure.

But Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) earlier this week had a message for Rauner. "If he vetoes it, the Senate is ready to override the veto," he said, according to NBC Chicago.

The measure passed by with a 62-55 vote in the House on April 25 — the same day hundreds of women took part in the Women's March on Springfield — and by a 33-22 vote Wednesday in the Senate. The bill would make Illinois the eight state to pass similar legislation to protect abortion rights.

In a statement, Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) commented on the controversy over the bill. "How 1960s on us," he said of the debate, adding, "It’s 2017. Women make up just over half of the population in Illinois, and 70 percent of them are in the labor force. But today, rather than paving the way to lift women out of poverty, close the gender wage gap, make child care more affordable or enable all parents to take time off to care for sick kids, the Illinois Senate had to debate whether it’s appropriate to reassure the women who live and work in our communities that they are legally entitled to access the medical care of their choosing without government interference."

Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Peru), on the other hand, called the bill a "significant change from a national policy that taxpayer dollars do not fund elective abortions." Rezin added, "Polls show a majority of taxpayers don’t want to fund abortion, and I agree with them. As a mother of four, I am pro-life and stand against taxpayer dollars being used for abortion."

Photo: AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File