The no-choice movement

Why are abortion supporters so opposed to people having information about abortion? They’re fighting that battle wherever and however it turns up, this time in Illinois.

Sparking sharp debate on a divisive political issue, the Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday issued key rules designed to revive a 1995 law that prohibits minors from obtaining abortions without notifying a parent.

The state Supreme Court’s refusal to issue the rules had left the law dormant for 11 years, much to the consternation of advocacy groups seeking stricter limits on abortion.

Supporters of parental notification cheered the court on Wednesday, saying it had cleared the way for state Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan to seek to overturn a federal court order that bars the state from enforcing the law.

These convoluted news stories with double and triple negatives require unraveling to see what they’re really saying.

This is about a law that requires parental notification for a minor to receive an abortion. A federal court order stopped the state from enforcing that law for the past 11 years. This new action by the Illinois Supreme Court gives pro-life advocates hope that…who?…Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan might overturn that order and thus allow the law to take effect? Is this the same Lisa Madigan who campaigned on her pro-abortion position and threatened to shut down crisis pregnancy centers?

Yes. So how much can personal politics determine this outcome?

Parental notification “is the law of the state of Illinois. The court has made it clear,” said DuPage County State’s Atty. Joseph Birkett, who wrote a letter to the Supreme Court in June urging them to take up the issue. “The next step will be lifting the [federal court] injunction. … I’m confident the attorney general will go to court.”

But opponents of the law were quick to disagree, saying Madigan need not take any action.

“It would be a perfectly appropriate decision for the attorney general to say: ‘This is not a live statute anymore. It was permanently enjoined. … If the people of Illinois want parental notification, it’s up to the legislature to pass a new law,’ ” said Lorie Chaiten, director of the reproductive rights project for ACLU of Illinois.

It appears that both sides of this battle are counting on Madigan to do ‘the right thing.’

Meanwhile, Madigan spokeswoman Cara Smith said only, “We are reviewing the rules and the [1995] law to determine the next step in the litigation.” She would not elaborate.

No elaboration needed. They’re looking for loopholes.

The Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995 requires that a physician tell a parent, grandparent or legal guardian at least two days before someone younger than 18 gets an abortion.

The law provides exceptions in certain cases, such as when a parent has sexually or physically abused a minor. The law also allows a judge to waive notice if the minor is sufficiently mature or if notification is not in the minor’s best interests.

That, right there, is broad and elastic enough to drive a truck through, speaking of loopholes. But well-enforced, it should do its job in everyone’s interest, while abortion is still legal. Still, some folks are jittery.

ACLU officials, who sued to block the law in 1995, could head back to federal court to try to keep the ban in place.

Chaiten said officials were still analyzing the new rules on Wednesday and had not decided on their next move, though she did criticize the rules as too burdensome.

“You can imagine being 16 or 17 and being faced with these rules,” Chaiten said. “It’s an enormously cumbersome process. It will be overwhelming to teens, and actually traumatic to them.”

Not remotely as traumatic as having an abortion. Look at the evidence.

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