We want to draw your attention to another important pro-life bill that our state lawmakers will be considering this session. HB 4117, sponsored by State Representative Tom Morrison (R-Palatine),  would require abortion clinics that perform more than 50 abortions a year to meet basic safety regulations of other similar outpatient treatment centers. (They have never been regulated.)

HB 4117 passed of a House Committee on Tuesday afternoon (February 21st) and will now be considered in the Illinois House. Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups are working overtime trying to stop this bill.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your state representative to urge him/her to support HB 4117 or even sign on as a co-sponsor.

Background

Patients undergoing abortion procedures have just as much right to expect the State of Illinois to apply health and safety standards to their health as to the health and well-being of patients undergoing other types of outpatient treatment.

The bill applies to ambulatory surgical treatment centers where abortions are performed and any other facility where 50 or more abortions are performed in any calendar year.

The measure is intended to provide health and safety protections for patients undergoing abortions in non-hospital settings. It reaffirms the intent of 1979 amendments to the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act (ASTCA) — that it apply to abortion facilities — notwithstanding a federal court settlement imposed on the state in the Ragsdale case in 1989, by which a Rockford abortionist settled a lawsuit challenging application of the ASTCA’s provisions and regulations to his abortion clinic, which could not meet the state’s safety standards for his patients.

The 1979 amendments which applied the ASTCA specifically to abortion clinics were sponsored by lawmakers whose records reflected a consistent “pro-choice” perspective. They were filed in response to a November, 1978, expose of unethical, unsafe practices in Chicago abortion clinics, published by the Better Government Assn. and the Chicago Sun-Times in a noteworthy series of articles titled “The Abortion Profiteers.” The shocking reports disclosed the deaths of at least a dozen women following abortions in the Chicago clinics, revealed unsterile conditions in the clinics, documented abortions performed on women who were not pregnant and others performed without anesthesia, showed premature dismissals from recovery rooms and falsifications of medical records and uncovered kickbacks paid for abortion referrals.

Because of the Ragsdale settlement, Illinois is notorious for its inability to regulate health and safety in abortion clinics. Given the number of scandals breaking across America related to shocking practices in under-inspected abortion clinics, it is only a matter of time before scandals break out in the uninspected abortion clinics here.

Illinois women deserve better. Illinois women deserve protection of their health and safety when they undergo abortions in non-hospital settings. Illinois women need enactment of HB 4117.

Please take a moment to contact your state representative to urge him/her to vote “yes” for HB 4117.

Working with the Catholic Conference of Illinois, IFI wants to alert you to an extremely important pro-life bill sponsored by State Representative Joe Lyons (D-Chicago).  If passed, this bill would require abortion providers to simply offer an ultrasound picture to women considering abortion. The choice of whether or not to view the ultrasound picture is still their. Research has proven that between 70 and 90 percent of “abortion minded” women who see images of their unborn children choose life.

The Ultrasound Opportunity Act (HB 4085), passed out of committee earlier today and will now be considered on the House floor.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your state representative to ask him/her to support HB 4085. Informed consent for women in a crisis pregnancy is vital. HB 4085 is a reasonable reform that offers Illinois women true choice.

Background

The backers of commercialized abortion like to say their guiding principle is “choice,” but women considering abortion  cannot make a truly informed choice without having sufficient, objective information. Such complete and accurate information on the reality and status of her pregnancy and her unborn child is essential to her psychological and physical well-being and to her free exercise of autonomy.

We are living in the 21st century with medical technology available that offers pregnant mothers the opportunity for such information via ultrasonography. Yet few if any abortion doctors offer ultrasound views to their patients. That is the reason HB 4085 is a necessary and compassionate approach to informed consent in abortion.

Of course, the bill also offers a measure of protection for the unborn child who is the object of the abortion.

An exception is provided when a medical emergency would necessitate skipping this stage in the informed consent process.

Reports to the Department of Public Health, required by the bill, would be in statistical form only and would give future General Assemblies insight as to how the law is functioning as well as assuring compliance by individual abortion providers.

We commend Rep. Lyons for his sponsorship of this common sense piece of legislation.

Please contact your state representative today to encourage him/her to support HB 4085.

P.S. Spring is an extremely busy time at our State Capitol.  More than 8,000 bills have been filed so far this session. I want to thank you for your patience with IFI and the frequency of emails we are sending out. We are doing everything we can to keep you informed in a timely manner. As we pray, partner together, and build our team of subscribers, I can tell you with confidence, we are making a difference.

On Monday, June 27th, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was found guilty on 17 counts of corruption, including charges related to trying to sell or trade the Illinois U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama. The jury found him not guilty on one count and deadlocked on two other counts.

It is more than apparent to those of us who closely watch the political scene here in Illinois that there are problems regarding not only politicians, but Illinois government which go far beyond the impeachment, trial and conviction of Rod Blagojevich. Character matters. From Dan Walker to Otto Kerner to George Ryan who is now serving time in a federal prison, corruption seems to be an ingrained part of politics and government business in the state of Illinois. It must be rooted out.

As Christians, our first reaction to Rod Blagojevich’s conviction should be to pray for his young daughters and the devastation of knowing their father is headed to prison. We also need to keep the former governor in prayer, as it would appear that the Lord is humbling and chastening Rod Blagojevich, despite the fact that the former governor continues to proclaim his innocence and repeat the line the he “did nothing wrong.” The question is, when will he heed the call to repent? We need to pray that Rod would seek to draw closer to God and His Truth through this sad experience and the hard times ahead.

Though he did wrong, the staff and board of directors at IFI will pray that God will come into his life and he will accept the forgiveness He made available to all of us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We hope and pray that this experience will help bring an end to systemic corruption which permeates Illinois politics.

With five of the last nine Illinois governors having been indicted on charges of corruption, one has to wonder if Blagojevich’s impeachment and conviction will influence Illinois politics for good, or if the “Chicago Way” will continue to operate as usual.