SPRINGFIELD, IL (NEXSTAR) — The United States Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade Friday morning.
The decision tears down 50 years of precedent, and allows state’s to ban abortion. Illinois is one of the few states in the country that put protections in place in case this day came.
Governor J.B. Pritzker’s campaign wasted no time in condemning the decision.
“Today, in a direct assault on the right to privacy and self determination, the United States Supreme Court confirmed our worst fears on Roe vs Wade,” a spokesperson for the campaign said. “The Republican Party and the extremists they appointed to the Supreme Court have satisfied their goal.”
The Reproductive Health Act enshrined abortion access into Illinois law in 2019. But Pritzker wants to take those protections a step further.
After the ruling dropped, Pritzker called for a special legislative session to focus on reproductive health care access. Both the Senate President and House Speaker would need to sign off on that special session.
The fight over abortion access took over the campaign trail after a draft ruling leaked from the Supreme Court. Republican candidate for Governor Darren Bailey said he would repeal the Parental Notification Act, but has not said if he would want to ban abortion.
“As I have consistently stated for several months, as Governor, I will work to remove taxpayer-funded abortion and restore parental notification in Illinois,” Bailey said. “I will also work with the legislature, civic groups, and nonprofits to support women during and after pregnancy, to make adoption easier, and abortion unnecessary.”
Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Jesse Sullivan said in a statement Friday that he would veto any legislation that would expand or solidify abortion rights if he were elected.
“For so many of us in Illinois, the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is something we’ve prayed, fought and worked toward for decades,” Sullivan said. “The next decision–with power back in the states–is about where Illinois will go from here.”
Richard Irvin refused to give a firm stance on how he would act on abortion access, saying repeatedly over the past two months that it would be “irresponsible” of him to comment on a leaked ruling.
Today, he acknowledged that even if he is elected to office, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to change the laws.
“As a pro-life Republican, I will continue to fight for every parent’s right to know if a minor child is having an abortion – a right JB Pritzker has outrageously taken away,” Irvin said in a statement Friday. “With Democratic majorities in the Illinois General Assembly, this Supreme Court ruling will have no effect on the law in our state.”
