State Rep Ex-Staffer Says She Was Fired For Pregnancy, Refusing Abortion: Report

NORTHBROOK, IL — A former staffer to Illinois State Representative Jonathan Carroll (D-Northbrook) is claiming she was fired from his office in June after becoming pregnant and refusing to get an abortion. Elly Fawcett-Neal made the accusations in an interview with Politico, published Thursday, in its Illinois Playbook column.

"While Ms. Fawcett-Neal isn’t with my office, she wasn’t fired," Carroll told Patch via email regarding the claim. "Upon learning of these allegations yesterday, I reached out to the legislative inspector general for a full investigation.

Carroll has been a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 57th district since first being elected in 2017. He is facing a reelection challenge from Rory Welch (R-Northfield) in next month's general election.

According to Politico, Fawcett-Neal, who now lives in the United Kingdom, filed a complaint with the legislative inspector general earlier this month. She said Carroll's chief of staff, Michael Amarilio, was the one that urged her to get the abortion, calling working in Carroll's office "awful."

Patch has reached out to Amarilio for this story.

Fawcett-Neal's claims were first reported by Capitol Fax, according to Politico. While seeking assistance via social media, Fawcett-Neal reportedly emailed an anonymous Instagram account called "Dear White Staffers," where she asked for help. Politico reports that a person associated with the account then posted the email after asking Fawcett-Neal for permission.

In an email to Patch, Fawcett-Neal said she submitted her complaint with the LIG's office on Oct. 10. Fawcett-Neal said she also reached out to the LIG's office on Oct. 19 to report she was being stalked on social media by someone connected to Amarilio. Fawcett-Neal provided Patch with the email she sent Oct. 19 regarding the submission of the complaint.