10/10/2006

Major Pro-Life and Pro-Family Organizations in Illinois Criticize New Parental Notification Act

ALTON, Ill., Oct. 10 /Christian Newswire/ -- Major Pro-Life and Pro-Family organizations in Illinois criticize State Representative John Fritchey’s bill, HB 5840, regarding minors and abortion as an explicit attempt to stop the Parental Notification Act of 1995 from going into effect.

“The ‘Adolescent Health Care Safety Act’ is nothing more than a cruel joke on Illinois parents and their minor daughters. The purpose of this Act is to avoid parental involvement. The proponents of this legislation oppose parental notification and their bill is an attempt to deceive the families of Illinois,” said Dawn Behnke, legislative spokeswoman with the Illinois Federation for Right to Life.

The bill “requires” adult family members (as young as 18 years old) to be notified, that include siblings, step-siblings, aunts and uncles of the minor. These members can be notified, regardless of where they live in the country or in the world and regardless of whether they have even talked with the minor in years. Additionally, the bill allows any “clergy” to be notified even if it is not the minor girl’s clergy or whether the clergy even knows the minor girl.

This bill then scraps all of the above, as bad as that is, and contains a provision that allows notice under this Act to be waived if the minor talks with a “counselor” and states a reason why those family members should not be notified. The term “counselor” includes a physician, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, a professional counselor or a member of the clergy. This obviously can include the abortion doctor or a member of his abortion clinic staff.

This may as well be called “The Notify a family member...Or Not Act”, said Ralph Rivera, legislative chairman for Illinois Citizens for Life.

The coalition of organizations that were members in the supplemental petition to the Illinois Supreme Court that urged the Court to promulgate appeal rules for the Parental Notification of Abortion Act of 1995, totally rejects HB 5840 and wants to urge the citizens of Illinois to contact their state legislators to oppose this attempt to stop the Parental Notice Act. The Thomas More Society is counsel for the Amici members who are; Illinois Citizens for Life, Illinois Federation for Right to Life, Concerned Women of America, Orthodox Christians for Life-Chicago, Lutherans for Life, Concerned Christians of America, Catholic Conference of Illinois, Illinois Family Institute and The Illinois Right to Life Committee.