Just in time for LGBTQ Pride Month, the Illinois Senate passed House Bill 2590 requiring county clerks to issue new marriage certificates upon request to reflect legal name changes for transgender and non-binary individuals. It passed by a vote of 82 to 28 in the House on April 22, 2021 and by a vote of 49 to 5 in the Illinois Senate on May 28, 2021.

State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), the sponsor of the bill, also sponsored Senate Bill 139 which passed in both the Illinois House and Illinois Senate a few weeks earlier and allows the removal of “gendered” language from marriage certificates. This proposal passed out of the Illinois Senate on April 21, 2021 by a vote of 44 to 13, and out of the Illinois House on May 19, 2021 by a vote of 78 to 30.

However, Feigenholtz didn’t believe SB 139 went far enough. “Non-binary and transgender individuals should be able to have a marriage license that lists their correct name,” she said.

Hence, the introduction of HB 2590, which bars any additional markings alluding to the individual’s former name from appearing on the new marriage certificates. The bill only allows county clerks can only change names on marriage certificates when the marriage occurred in Illinois and legal documentation of the name change is provided.

People in the nonbinary and transgender communities along with their allies’ say the use of their former names, called “deadnaming,” is offensive and causes them trauma. That is why Feigenholtz and others say they pushed for HB 2590s passage.

Another bill, HB 9, also supported by the LGBTQ community, narrowly missed passage in the spring legislative session. HB 9 would have required the State Registrar of Records to establish a new birth certificate when receiving a signed statement (called self-attestation) that an individual has undergone treatment for the purpose of gender transition. Under current law, a treating doctor must sign off on the change.

While the bill passed in the Illinois House by a vote of 66 to 45, it failed to pass by one vote in the Illinois Senate and was placed on postponed consideration. The bill can be brought back up for another vote at any time the Senate convenes during this session.

House Bill 9 was introduced by State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) who describes it as aligning “with the requirements for driver’s licenses in Illinois that do not require a doctor’s note.”

Proponents of the bill claim the change is needed to aid transgender and binary persons secure vital documents even if they have not transitioned medically. So, if the bill were to pass, an individual would only have to state that they are different gender to have their gender changed on their birth certificate. No medical proof of medical intervention would be necessary.

Capitol News Illinois (CNI) reported Myles Brady Davis, press secretary and director of communication at Equality Illinois, told a House Committee, “Access to a birth certificate is the first step in securing important identity documents needed for many aspects of daily life.”

Illinois State Senators Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) and Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) are sponsoring a bill, SB 109, that will change the “Practitioner’s Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment” (POLST) form by removing the requirement that a witness sign the form. Since the POLST form states the patient’s wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment, having a witness sign this form reduces the chances that a patient is manipulated into literally signing their life away. 

Important Details:

• POLST stands for “Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment” but has less to do with “life-sustaining” and more to do with life-ending. Remember that words and changing definitions are often used deceptively to fool people.

• Currently, the POLST form has to be “witnessed by one individual 18 years of age or older, who attests that the individual, other person, guardian, agent or surrogate (1) has had an opportunity to read the form; and (2) has signed the form or acknowledged his or her signature or mark on the form in the witness’s presence.” SB 109 removes that.

• SB 109 also indicates, “If the patient’s wishes are unknown and remain unknown after reasonable efforts to discern them, the decision shall be made on the basis of the patient’s best interests as determined by the surrogate decision maker.”

• POLST was created in 1991 at the Center for Ethics in Health Care at Oregon Health & Science University. Oregon permits physician-assisted suicide.  Key backers of POLST forms include foundations like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that have funded “right to die” organizations. That alone should indicate the real intentions behind POLST.

Reasons for Requirement of Witness:

• Patient could be manipulated into literally signing their life away.

• Eliminating the important witness requirement leaves vulnerable patients’ health decisions in the hands of the medical person in charge.

This proposal has passed the Illinois Senate by a vote of 43 – 15 on April 21st, and is now being considered by the Illinois House. Two Republicans joined Democrats in voting for this proposal: State Representatives John Curran (R-Lemont) and Donald DeWitte (R-West Dundee).

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send a message to your state representative to ask him/her to vote against SB 109. Be polite, but request that they “Help Protect Patients Needing Life-Sustaining Treatment and vote no on SB 109.”

More ACTION: We have a short window to submit witness slips. It takes less than five minutes. State lawmakers use these witness slips as a measure of public opinion. Help stop this bill by taking these steps (must be over 13):

• Open the link for SB 109 (here)
• Fill in your information.  Put “Self” in three fields:
  • Firm/Business
  • Title
  • Persons, groups firms represented in this appearance
• Under Position, click OPPONENT
• Under Testimony, click “Record Of Appearance Only”
• Click “I Agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement”
• Click button Create(Slip)

SB 109 is sponsored in the Illinois House by State Representative Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) and Carol Ammons (D-Urbana).

Become a monthly supporter of IFI.  Click HERE for more information.

Last week ten lawmakers from the Jewish Caucus in Springfield sponsored a resolution condemning Illinois Family Action (IFA) and Illinois Family Institute (IFI) for engaging in what they call “hate speech,” because IFA compared the abortion holocaust to the Jewish Holocaust. Titled “Illinois Family Action-Hate Speech” (HJR 55), the resolution uses subjective hyperbole, disreputable sources and unreasonable inferences that make the alleged offense seem overtly sinister.

If you want an exhaustive, well-argued refutation of the resolution, read “Left-Wing Partisans File Stunning Resolution Against Illinois Family.” HJR 55 is stunning for all the reasons that author Laurie Higgins identifies but also because of its glaring omission: any mention of abortion, the topic of the article that started it all.

There are always hazards when invoking the Holocaust, not least of which is overstating the parallel to a current situation. But that’s not the case here. It is indisputable that the Nazis dehumanized an entire class of human beings defined solely by their ethnoreligious heritage, then rounded them up and shipped them off to be exterminated with lethal efficiency in death camps across Europe.

It’s also indisputable that abortion providers—most notably Planned Parenthood—are also in the extermination business. They and their enablers—most notably regressive Democrats, who increasingly champion infanticide—have dehumanized an entire class of human beings defined solely by their stage of development in situ.

One significant difference between the Jewish Holocaust and our modern holocaust is that abortion clinics don’t have to round up babies and send them to a centralized abortion mill. Instead, Planned Parenthood has conveniently dotted the country with more than 600 of their own little death camps for easy access. It’s the children’s own mothers who—whether they gleefully “shout their abortion” or enter a clinic in desperation—play the role of Hitler’s Schutzstaffel.

The parallels between the two holocausts, made so often as to be in danger of becoming cliché, are strong and obvious—except to the willfully blind.

So why the extraordinary step of a resolution in the Illinois House condemning the comparison? Just this: by making the comparison, Illinois Family conferred personhood on the pro-choicers’ blob of tissue. IFI re-humanized them. The resolution’s assertion that IFI is “recklessly comparing those who disagree with their extreme agenda to Nazis” can only be true if babies aren’t human.

The resolution is a naked halogen bulb blinding observers to their real objective, which is to intimidate and shame IFI into submission. Accusations of unspecified threats, anti-Semitism, “hate speech,” “bigotry,” “homophobia” and “extreme rhetoric” are followed by a call for “a formal investigation” into such speech and asking the Secretary of State to suspend IFI’s lobbying credentials.

One of the resolution’s co-sponsors, State Representative Jonathan Carroll (D-Northbrook), took to Twitter to express his outrage. “This is hate speech and I demand a retraction. Comparing Democrats to Nazis to to [sic] promote your agenda is disgraceful.” He was later quoted as saying, “We call on the Illinois State Police to do a full investigation of these incidents.”

To summarize: the all-Democrat Jewish Caucus of the Illinois House of Representatives has circled the wagons and called for reinforcements because they don’t like a commonly-used analogy comparing the killing of 61,000,000 babies (and counting) to the killing of 6,000,000 Jews—and allegedly fear that they will now be the victims of violence. To address the threat, they are summoning the power of the state to crush IFI.

How very Hitler-esque.

Meanwhile, the State of Illinois is circling the drain. We are the least fiscally solvent state, but pay the highest state and local taxes in the country; we are the third most corrupt state in the nation and boast the worst-in-nation pension crisis; we’re unlikely to successfully weather a recession, we have one of the worst home foreclosure rates in the nation, and we lead the country in number of residents fleeing the state.

If regressives get their way, they’ll also bestow on Illinois the distinction of having the most radical abortion laws in the land. (We’re number one! We’re number one!)

Instead of wasting their time and taxpayer money weaponizing the state to kick around a tiny pro-family organization that enjoys First Amendment protections, how about getting busy fixing the national embarrassment that the land of Lincoln has become?

Instead of indoctrinating five freshman legislators on the finer points of virtue signaling (“Hate has no home here,” right, Rep. Sara Feigenholtz?), how about challenging Jonathan Carroll, Daniel Didech, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Yehiel Kalish, Karina Villa, Anna Moeller and Bob Morgan to balance a budget by reining in spending? Instead of demonstrating knee jerk outrage, how about demanding an investigation into how the most corrupt big city in the nation let Jussie “O.J.” Smollett skate after slandering half the country’s citizens and lying about it?

Regressives and their junior commies in the Illinois House have more pressing issues to deal with than some petty disagreement about whether legal abortion is like the Jewish Holocaust or not. Judging by the March 20 turnout to protest the proposed abortion legislation that “overtaxed Capitol security,” there are a lot of people who agree that it is.

The Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote, “Woe to those who call good evil and evil good, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20). Jewish legislators should understand better than anyone the evil of taking innocent life. Rescind the resolution and do what you were elected to do: rescue Illinois.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to contact your state senator and representative to ask them to reject this dangerous resolution. Ask them to vote down HJR 55 and the unprecedented and tyrannical action being taken by extreme partisans in the Illinois General Assembly.

Read more:

Left-Wing Partisans File Stunning Resolution Against Illinois Family (Laurie Higgins)

Truth and Love or Hate? (Rev. Calvin Lindstrom)

SPOTLIGHT: Illinois’ Abortion Holocaust (Podcast)

A bold voice for pro-family values in Illinois!

Click HERE to learn about supporting IFI on a monthly basis.

Pro-life advocate Chris Iverson noted this fact in an article here at IFI recently:

The U.S. abortion rate is the lowest in recorded history! The Guttmacher Institute found that there were 14.6 abortions for every 1,000 women aged 15-44 in 2014. That’s lower than the abortion rate in 1973 (when the Roe v. Wade case was decided) and every year since then.

Republicans in Washington, D.C. are taking steps to defund Planned Parenthood and prevent the use of federal taxdollars for abortions.

Illinois Democrats are going in the opposite direction. State Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) has re-introduced legislation that would remove all prohibitions on taxpayer funding of abortions through HB 40. Here is the Illinois Citizens for Life:

For decades, Illinois has had a public policy of not paying for abortions under the Medicaid assistance program except for life of the mother. Court decisions have added “health” and rape and incest. The Illinois law went to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1979 and was upheld in its entirety in 1980.

Survey after survey has shown that a clear majority of Illinoisans, even those who say they are pro-choice, do not want their tax dollars paying for abortions.

HB 40 would remove this ban and require taxpayer funding of abortions for any reason throughout the full nine months of pregnancy. If this bill passed into law, the thousands of these abortions added [estimated at 15,000 or more each year] would be paid for only with state taxpayer dollars, since the federal government prohibits paying for abortions other than for life, rape and incest.

Pro-life lobbyist Ralph Rivera says that there would be no limit to the number of abortions a woman could have using tax-dollars, and the abortion could be for any reason through all 9 months of the pregnancy. There would also be no age restriction, so minors would be eligible for taxpayer funded abortions.

A large part of the targeted population in HB 40 is those who are covered under Medicaid. The website Illinois Health Matters provides a breakdown on the “Demographics of the Medicaid Population,” noting that “about 600,000 Illinois residents age 19 to 64 with low income became eligible for Medicaid.”

According to Illinois Citizens for Life, the year the Illinois Law was passed that prohibited taxpayer funding, “over 12,000 abortions were paid for under Medicaid with tax dollars.” Since the number of abortions was substantially higher when tax-dollars were used, it should be expected that more abortions will be performed once the restriction is removed. One question that follows is who is going to be having those abortions? Note these numbers:

• Blacks make up 30 percent of the Medicaid recipients in Illinois while they are 14 percent of the whole.
• Latinos make up 16 percent of the Medicaid recipients in Illinois while they are 16 percent of the whole.
• Asians make up 5 percent of the Medicaid recipients in Illinois while they are 5 percent of the whole.

Since 51 percent of the Medicaid recipients in Illinois are minorities, whether it is intended or not, the passage of HB 40 will increase the number of abortions in the minority community.

A bit of history is important here. IFI contributor Tami Jackson wrote in an article titled “Margaret Sanger’s Dream Come True: Eugenics by Abortion”:

[Margaret] Sanger was a nurse and a birth control advocate in the early 20th century. But more importantly, she formed the organization, American Birth Control League, which would eventually become Planned Parenthood.

. . .

[She] espoused sinister motives for advancing birth control and abortion: she fully endorsed eugenics for the betterment of race and society.

Sanger was a Darwinist who embraced a utilitarian view of human life, and proposed to rid our nation of the criminal element and “inferior races” through abortion and breeding programs.

Margaret Sanger was born in 1879 and died in 1966, so this issue is not new. Today, Sanger is seen as a feminist hero and the Democratic Party supports full funding for Planned Parenthood.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send a message to your state to ask him/her to vote AGAINST this pro-abortion bill.  Ask them to consider how abortion providers and eugenicists are promoting abortion to destroy the innocent pre-born human lives of black and brown babies.

Bills regarding the sanctity of life are headed to committee!

Please fill out a witness slip on the following bills which are scheduled to be heard on Wednesday, February 8^th, in the Illinois House Human Services Committee. It’s critical that we have more slips from pro-lifers because the other side is working hard on these bills. When Committee Chairperson Robyn Gabel (D-Chicago) tells the committee members that thousands have filled out slips, this will send a strong message that pro-life voters are ready to fight for those who cannot speak for themselves.

These are the bills we need you to take action on:

OPPOSE HB 40  is sponsored by Illinois Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) – reinstates taxpayer-funded abortions for Medicaid recipients and adds abortion coverage in state employees’ insurance plans.

SUPPORT HB 282 is sponsored by Illinois Rep. Barbara Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake) – prohibits abortions based solely on race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, or diagnosis of Down Syndrome or other disability.

SUPPORT HB 283 is sponsored by Illinois Rep. Barbara Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake) – Creates the Ultrasound Opportunity Act by requiring an ultrasound be offered to anyone considering an abortion.

SUPPORT HB 467 is sponsored by Illinois Rep. Sheri Jesiel (R-Antioch) – Provides for the licensure of facilities that commit 50 or more abortions a year; requires certain standards; requires the Dept. of Public Health to annually conduct at least one unannounced inspection per year; provides patients be notified if a violation could threaten a patients’ health.

SUPPORT HB 532 is sponsored by Illinois Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard) – Amends the Illinois Anatomical Gift Act by banning the sale of fetal tissue from abortions.

File a Witness Slip:  Click HERE

Register on the left column.

Once you have verified your registration, you can file a witness slip on any bill.

Return to the GA Dashboard.

Click on “House” in the left-hand column for a drop down menu. Then click on “Committees.”

Find the “Human Services Committee” and click on the hammer icon, which is “View Committee Hearings.”

Now you should be on the “Human Services Committee” page. On the right side, please click on “View Legislation.”

Scroll down to find one bill at a time and click on the paper and pencil icon at the far right to “Create Witness Slip.”

Make sure you click OPPONENT for HB 40 and PROPONENT for the other 4 bills.

You may type “None” for Firm/Business/Agency and Title and “Self” for Representation.

Under Testimony, click Record of Appearance Only.

If required, check the Terms of Agreement.

Click Create Slip.

Click the back arrow or the green  button to create another slip.

Please “like” the IFI Facebook page!

If you have been reading our material over the past several years, you know that IFI is a favorite target of the Left.

Apparently, even the Christmas holiday season cannot temper their hatred of our pro-life and pro-family message.

Last week, a Mr. Reed McCann visited the Facebook page for Illinois Family Institute and left an angry and hateful review and a comment in which he expressed his desire that God kill all of us:

Laurie did a great job trying to reason with Reed, but he decided to take it to an unacceptable level by threatening IFI’s staff with a comment under our article about the 2017 legislative plans of State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz. Therefore, we reported his threats to Facebook and banned him from our page outright.

Why does Reed hate us so intensely that he would say this:

“If I were to see any of you *********** cross the street in front of my car I will run you over and then back up and make sure you’re dead.  Fascist hypocritical lying religious zealots should all go ******* die.”

It’s simple: It’s because of what we do and what we represent.

No other organization in Illinois boldly fights for faith, family, and freedom like IFI. It’s why many of you have given to us in the past. And it’s why I hope everyone reading this email will support us: the only pro-family group in our state that can take the fight to our opponents.

A few years ago, socialist Andy Thayer, founder of the Chicago-based Gay Liberation Network, warned a group of LGBT activists about IFI, calling us a linchpin organization in the battle against sexual anarchy. He has a valid point. If there were no organized opposition, if IFI did not exist, the agenda of the godless would have a much smoother path through the legislature.

Absent a clear moral voice in the public square, our children and grandchildren would likely grow up in an environment where the liberal worldview was the norm. IFI partners with likeminded Illinoisans to speak with a clear moral voice in the public square even in the face of withering hatred.

It is why the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) labels us a “hate group.”  They are desperate to delegitimize our work and message. And since Leftists are unable to respond rationally and coherently, they resort to hurling epithets and misrepresenting us and our positions.

Yet we’re here not only to educate our lawmakers but also to inform and motivate Christian citizens throughout the state, equipping and empowering them to engage our culture. But we cannot do it without your help! Please double our ability to fight for you by supporting the work and ministry of Illinois Family Institute.

In a culture consumed by with debauchery, decay, and death, IFI stands boldly in the public square to shout the truth about God’s design for marriage and family, the sanctity of life, and the importance of religious freedom. His plan would see families thrive and communities blessed. It’s why each and every one of the members of the IFI team is dedicated to our mission.

Will you help us continue to fight for the future of the family? By making a year-end, tax-deductible investment in IFI now, you’ll join other pro-family Illinoisans, enabling us to be your voice in the Land of Lincoln. In order to speak out with a strong, unified, and persuasive voice, we must have financial resources. By giving today, you can help make it happen.

Please consider how you can help us begin 2017 from a place of strength. DONATE ONLINE or call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328.

Also, I’d like to invite you to visit our Facebook page and “like” us. There is no reason that Equality Illinois (a pro-LGBT group) should have three thousand more Facebook “likes” than we do. While you are there, please take time to rank us and/or write a supportive review.

We appreciate all that you do and ask for your continued prayers and participation.

Thank you for your support! We look forward to partnering with you to speak courageously and winsomely for the beliefs and values we share.

To make a credit card donation over the phone, please call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328.  You can also send a gift to:

Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 876
Tinley Park, Illinois 60477

In 1975, Illinois adopted language declaring the state’s intent to “protect the right to life of the unborn child” by prohibiting abortion. Now, an Illinois politician plans to introduce legislation to reverse that pro-life language.  It’s not clear that this has any real world impact.  The same politician is pushing another bill we previously covered to force Illinois taxpayers to pay for abortions under Medicaid and to include abortion coverage in state worker’s insurance plans.

Here’s the background.  The U.S. Supreme Court prohibits “we the people” from legally protecting pre-viable humans from abortion.  Illinois’ law protects unborn humans from abortion after the baby has reached viability.  Additionally, the language in the 1975 Illinois abortion law signals the state’s intent to protect pre-viable humans from abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned it’s prior decisions on abortion.

That possibility makes Sara Feigenholtz “worried.”

According to a Chicago Tribune article from 1991, pro-life attorneys, pro-choice attorneys and the Illinois Legislative Research Unit agreed that the 1975 language in question has no legal effect.  These attorneys agree that if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns prior abortion decisions, the law in Illinois doesn’t automatically change.  Here’s the relevant passage from the law (emphasis added):

“Sec. 1. It is the intention of the General Assembly of the State of Illinois to reasonably regulate abortion in conformance with the decisions of the United States Supreme Court of January 22, 1973. Without in any way restricting the right of privacy of a woman or the right of a woman to an abortion under those decisions, the General Assembly of the State of Illinois do solemnly declare and find in reaffirmation of the longstanding policy of this State, that the unborn child is a human being from the time of conception and is, therefore, a legal person for purposes of the unborn child’s right to life and is entitled to the right to life from conception under the laws and Constitution of this State. Further, the General Assembly finds and declares that longstanding policy of this State to protect the right to life of the unborn child from conception by prohibiting abortion unless necessary to preserve the life of the mother is impermissible only because of the decisions of the United States Supreme Court and that, therefore, if those decisions of the United States Supreme Court are ever reversed or modified or the United States Constitution is amended to allow protection of the unborn then the former policy of this State to prohibit abortions unless necessary for the preservation of the mother’s life shall be reinstated.”

Who is Sara Feigenholtz and why is she “worried” when the lawyers say this has no legal impact?  Sara Feigenholtz is a Democratic State Representative from the 12^th District in Chicago.  That district includes North Avenue Beach, Lincoln Park Zoo, and Wrigley Field. She was adopted and is now 60 years old.  She was born before the 1973 Roe v Wade decision which stripped unborn humans of their right to live.  She and other adoptees in her generation were protected from abortion which allowed them to be born and adopted.  Despite the fact that she received legal protection from abortion when she was conceived and despite the fact that she was adopted, she isn’t on the pro-life side. Instead, she accepts the endorsement of the abortion clinic lobby including Personal PAC and Planned Parenthood Illinois Action.  These lobby organizations represent the abortion clinics that abort over 40,000 human lives each year in this state.

Why does she want this bill?  Feigenholtz told Chicago Tonight that this was a “direct response to Trump’s comments” and that she wants Illinois to make a “statement.”  She also said that if Roe was overturned, “it [abortion] will be illegal immediately to have abortions, abortion services in Illinois.”  Sara Feigenholtz either doesn’t understand the law, disagrees with all the attorneys, or she’s trying to scare her constituency and then declare a fake victory if this law passes.

While this bill is just a waste of time, she is right that there is a good chance for Roe v Wade to be overturned.  Once Scalia’s vacancy is filled with a pro-life Justice and one of the three older pro-choice Justice’s leave the Court (Ginsberg, Kennedy or Breyer) and are replaced by a pro-life Justice, Roe can finally be overturned.  However, Illinois law will not automatically change.  For that to happen, we must persuade our fellow citizens.  We need to communicate that the unjustified taking of human life should never be legal, including abortion.  We need to communicate the pro-life message repeatedly and persuasively to move public opinion away from abortion and toward life.

Take ACTION: Please click HERE to send a message to your state representative to ask him/her to stand strong for the right to life and against any pro-abortion legislation that may be introduced in the near future.

More ACTION:  Click HERE to learn more about opportunities to join pro-life activists who are working to educate the public with the message that “Abortion Takes Human Life.”

Upcoming Event:  Join thousands at March for Life Chicago 2017 as we come together from across Chicago, the Midwest and the U.S. to defend, protect and celebrate LIFE on January 15th!

Illinois Family Spotlight:  Listen to this week’s podcast as Monte Larrick and Dave Smith talk with pro-life hero Jill Stanek about what the pro-life movement can expect over the next few years in a Donald Trump administration.

End-of-Year Challenge

As you may know, IFI has a year-end matching challenge to raise $110,000. That’s right, a small group of IFI supporters are providing a $55,000 matching challenge to help support IFI’s ongoing work to educate, motivate and activate Illinois’ Christian community.

You can also send a gift to:

Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 876
Tinley Park, Illinois 60477

State Representative Scott Drury (D-Highwood) wrote this to a constituent who opposes HB 4013*, the bill that would remove all restrictions on taxpayer-funded abortions:

Thank you for your email.  As a devoted husband and father of two children, I have a deep understanding of how rewarding parenting can be.  However, not every pregnancy is planned or desired.  It is, therefore, vital that all women have access to safe reproductive health care without government interference.  Should the legislation you reference be called for a vote, I will support it.

Very truly yours,

Scott R. Drury

As indicated by the adverb “however,” it appears Rep. Drury believes that only planned, desired children will provide adults with rewarding experiences, and, to “progressives,”  personal pleasure and subjective desire are First Principles—the ultimate arbiters of morality. Not only do empowered Leftist women and other “progressives” want the absolute, unfettered right to act in accordance with their autonomous desires, but they demand that others pay for their actions—including even the killing of their children.

I would challenge the notion that someone who believes subjective desire and good planning trump the rights of the pre-born constitutes a “devoted father.” A devoted father sacrifices his desires and his plans for the good of his children—all of his children. Same goes for devoted mothers.

While Drury waxes noble about safe, reproductive healthcare, maybe he could address how safe abortion is for the other party involved—you know, the tiny, helpless, undesired, unplanned baby. Perhaps not every pregnancy is planned or desired, but every pregnancy necessarily means a second human life is present who deserves at minimum “government interference” to prevent its slaughter. If our government can’t be counted on to “interfere” when stronger humans seek to destroy the lives of the weakest among us, then the government has lost all moral authority and deserves to cease to exist.

What a sickening rationalization of selfish, regressive barbarism.

Remember, Rep. Drury, the babies you want to compel taxpayers to pay to kill didn’t plan to come into existence, and devoted mothers who don’t desire them, don’t have to raise them. No babies are truly unwanted even if their biological mothers don’t want them.

Take ACTION: First, please click HERE to send a message to your state representative to ask him/her to vote AGAINST this pro-abortion bill.

Please also email or call Rep. Durry’s office to politely let him know what you think about the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of pre-born human life.  His district phone number is (847) 681-8580 and his email is:  repdrury@gmail.com

Lastly, please forward this information to your pastors and/or church leaders and urge them to include this information in all church bulletins, newsletters, etc., as soon as possible.  Our state lawmakers return from Easter break next week, and HB 4013 may come up for a vote in the Illinois House anytime before the end of May.

* HB 4013 is sponsored by State Representatives Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), Carol Sente (D-Lincolnshire), Ann Williams (D-Chicago), and Elizabeth Hernandez (D-Cicero).

SAVE the DATE:
“Islam in America: A Christian Perspective”
with Dr. Erwin Lutzer
May 7th

CLICK HERE for Details

Written by Cal Skinner

Pro-Life and Pro-Family citizens must contact their State Representatives in opposition to HB 4013.

Late last week, State Representative Sara Feigenholtz introduced HB 4013, a bill that would remove all prohibitions on taxpayer funding of abortions.  In other words, this legislation would reverse the current law which bans taxpayer funding of abortion under Medicaid.  In 1977 there were over 12,700 abortions paid for under Public Aid’s Medicaid program with taxpayer dollars.

Take ACTION: Please click HERE to send a message to your state representative to ask him/her to vote AGAINST this pro-abortion bill.

You can also contact your state representative by calling the Capitol switchboard at (217) 782-2000.

**Please forward this information to your pastors and/or church leaders and urge them to include this information in all church bulletins, newsletters, etc., as soon as possible.

Background 

In the late 1970’s the State of Illinois stopped paying for most abortions for those on Public Aid. Shortly thereafter, abortions were removed from services paid for by the State Employees Health Plan

Now, State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz has introduced House Bill 4013.

It will allow the payment for abortions for both state employees and those on Public Aid. Details on the type of abortion would no longer need to be submitted. The requirement of a physician’s statement that the abortion was required to save the life of the mother would no longer be required.

In addition, it allows the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to nonprofit agencies and organizations that use such grants to refer or counsel for, or perform, abortions. The most prominent of such not-for-profit agencies is Planned Parenthood.

The bill also would allow physicians who have been convicted of performing an abortion procedure in a willful and wanton manner upon a woman who was not pregnant at the time such abortion procedure was performed.

Arguments in Opposition

In a year when the budget is in more trouble than any time within the last fifty years, it is not the time to force state agencies to spend more money than last year.

Re-instating abortions for Public Aid clients is a thinly-disguised way to make sure there are fewer black and brown babies. As a white liberal Republican woman told a legislative colleague privately on the House floor during a 1990’s debate on a bill that would encourage abortions, “We have too many black babies.”

The bill would allow state-paid abortions for sex selection or any reason at all.

Cal Skinner is a former Illinois state representative (1973-1981 and 1993-2001) from Crystal Lake. He began government career in the U.S. Budget Bureau before it was called the Office of Management and Budget and served as McHenry County Treasurer from 1966-1970. Mr. Skinner ran for GOP nomination for Congress in 1980, ran for State Comptroller in 1983, and ran as Libertarian Party candidate for Governor in 2002. Mr. Skinner holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from Oberlin College and a Master’s degree in public administration from the University of Michigan.

You make our work for pro-family values possible – Donate today!  To make a credit card donation over the phone, call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328.  You can also send a gift to:

Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 88848
Carol Stream, IL  60188

There are three weeks left before our state lawmakers adjourn for the summer.  Please contact your state representative today and ask him/her to vote NO on SB 3076.

Legislation known as Physician Orders For Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) would legalize a troubling end-of-life directive to be honored in health care facilities. When signed by a designated healthcare professional, the POLST document dictates whether to withhold or administer certain forms of medical treatment and care.

The bill, SB 3076, would change the POLST form from requiring a physician’s signature to requiring the signature of a “practitioner.” This means that a physician’s assistant, advance nurse practitioner, or a licensed resident could sign the form after completion of a one year program. Nurses and physician’s assistants are competent professionals, but they are not physicians.

SB 3076 has already passed in the Illinois Senate and is now pending in the Illinois House.  

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your state representative. Ask him/her to please vote against SB 3076.

Learn more about this troubling proposal. Watch this IllinoisFamily.org News report with pro-life lobbyist Ralph Rivera:

SB 3076 is sponsored by State Senator John Mulroe (D-Chicago) and State Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago).

Become a monthly supporter of IFI.  Click HERE for more information.

Lawmakers in the Illinois House, most if not all knowing little or nothing about medicine or disease, may be voting to legalize so-called marijuana as “medicine” in Illinois on Wednesday.

This bill allows a “qualified” patient to have 2.5 ounces of marijuana every 14 days (183 joints, 13 per day).  Even the most experienced user smokes an average of three or four joints a day, potentially allowing the surplus to be sold on the streets. Moreover, “medical” marijuana laws normalize marijuana use, which significantly decreases the perception of harm especially among adolescents and teens.

“The key to it is medical access, because once you have hundreds of thousands of people using marijuana under medical supervision the whole scam is going to be bought. Once there’s medical access…then we will get full legalization.” ~Richard Cowan, former director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send your state representative an email or a fax to tell him/her that you do not want marijuana sold in your neighborhood for any purpose.  You can also contact your lawmakers through the Capitol switchboard at (217) 782-2000.

Andrea G. Barthwell, MD, FASAM, recently spoke to a large assembled group at Moraine Valley Community College at a conference on the consequences of marijuana as medicine.  She made it perfectly clear, smoked marijuana does not meet the standards of modern medicine. There is no scientific research on marijuana’s effectiveness as a medicine, interactions with other drugs, and impact on pre-existing conditions. There are no studies on marijuana that can be used to establish safe dosing levels, frequency and duration of administration, route, or method of administration for any medical condition.

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) lists marijuana as a Schedule I drug because it has no accepted medical value and has a high potential for addiction. There is no scientifically documented benefit for the use of crude marijuana for any medical purpose. In fact, crude smoked marijuana has been rejected by major reputable national medical associations in the country including the American Medical Association, the American Ophthalmic Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the American Cancer Society.

Take a moment now to let your state representative know that you want him/her to vote NO to HB 1, the “medical” pot bill.

Read more:

Why Marijuana Legalization Would Compromise Public Health and Public Safety

Medical Marijuana Poses Critical Concerns to Prevention

Doctors Supporting FDA Process for Medical Marijuana

Christian Medical & Dental Association Letter to Lawmakers on HB 1

 Click HERE to make a donation to the Illinois Family Institute.

Much to the chagrin of Bible-believing Americans, President Barack Obama officially proclaimed June “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month” month.

In Chicago, as in many other big cities in America, pandering politicians and so-called “news” organizations quickly line up to show their approval and support for those who identify themselves by their sexual behavior. Specifically, they march in Chicago’s “Gay Pride” Parade. This year, the parade is scheduled for Sunday, June 27 at noon in the Lakeview neighborhood.

Please note the public officials and the government agencies that are participating in this event: each entry costs taxpayers $175 plus the costs of the float and displays.

Aside from the celebration of perverse sexual behavior and the blatant disregard for obscenity and decency laws, the most disturbing aspect of this yearly event is the presence of children, both as participants and spectators. This year, the Chicago Pride Parade lineup includes not one, but two Chicago Elementary Schools.

In the past, adults have attempted to shield children from accidental exposure to immoral behavior: things their minds are too young to comprehend. Protecting their innocence was a priority. But now adults are purposely exposing children to degenerate conduct and celebrations of sexual perversity.

Don’t expect Chicago’s media to blow the whistle. No, they will be too busy dancing on their official floats in the parade. The dominate media in Chicago (and elsewhere) have given up on the idea of neutrality when it comes to issues as important and contentious as homosexuality, the meaning of family and marriage, and traditional religion. They have taken the side of homosexual activists and will not dare to challenge parade organizers in fear of being called intolerant, or worse, a bigot.

The media has intentionally discarded any notion of journalistic integrity when it comes to the divisive issue of homosexuality and counterfeit marriage and have, in turn, become fierce advocates.

Here is the list of those participating in the 2010 Gay “Pride” Parade:

Politicians and Political Groups

U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky

Gov. Patrick Quinn/staff
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (Candidate for U.S. Senate)

State Sen. President John Cullerton
State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg
State Sen. Heather Steans
State Sen. Harry Osterman

State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz
State Rep. Greg Harris
State Rep. Deborah Mell
State Rep. David Miller (Candidate for Illinois Treasurer)

Mayor Richard Daley’s Advisory Council on LGBT Issues
Mayors Bicycle Ambassadors
Chicago Alderman Tom Tunney
Chicago Alderman Scott Waguespack
Chicago Alderman Helen Shiller
Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle (Candidate for Cook County Pres.)
Chicago Alderman Joe Moore
Chicago Alderman Roberto Maldonado
Chicago City Treasurer Stephanie Neely

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart
Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown
Cook County Recorder of Deeds Eugene Moore
Cook County Democrats
43rd Ward Democratic Committeeman Michele Smith

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District

Alliance of Illinois Judges

Candidate Joel Pollak (9th Congressional Dist.)
Candidate Scott Lee Cohen (Independent for Governor)
Candidate Ann Williams (11th Dist. State Rep.)
Candidate Robyn Gabel (18th Dist. State Rep.)
Candidate Don Nowotny (Alderman of Chicago’s 46th Ward)
Candidate James Cappleman (Alderman of Chicago’s 46th Ward)

Illinois State Bar Association
Illinois Green Party
ACLU of Illinois
Log Cabin Republicans
Planned Parenthood

Government Agencies

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody P. Weis
Chicago Commission/Human Relations
Nettelhorst School (Chicago Public Elementary School)
Chicago Waldorf School (Chicago Private Elementary School)
Chicago Public Library
Oak Park Pub. Library
Gerber Hart Library (Chicago Public Library)
CTA
Chicago Dept. Public Health
Amtrak
Illinois Lottery
Anti Cruelty Society

Sports Organizations

Chicago Cubs
Chicago Force Football

Media

Chicago Public Radio
ABC7 Chicago
WLEY-FM
WGN-TV
KISS-FM
WGN-AM
WXRT
JACK-FM
WCPT
WLIT-93.9
WCIU-TV
WBBM-FM/B96
Chicago Tribune’s RedEye Newspaper
Chicago Grab Magazine

Local Businesses

ComEd
BMW Sherreville
Grossinger Auto Group
Cricket Communications
Old Town School of Folk Music
Royal Service Realty
Threadless.com
Fields Infinity
Paninos Cafe
Bill Jacobs Volkswagen
Fletcher Jones Volkswagen
Windy City Movers
New Town Alano
Saugatuck
Chicago OUtfit
Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital
Alcala’s Western Wear
Mi Tierra Mexicana
Greenhouse Theater
Yoga Now
Nuns for Fun/Late Nite Catechism
Northside Toyota
Club Escape
Horizon Hospice
Campit Outdoor Resort
Chicago Apartment Finders
Brown Elephant
Chi-Town Squares
Standard Bank
John Baethke Plumbing
Maneuvers
Molitor Financial Group
Pretty Boy Enterprises
Animal Ark Vet Clinic
Fusion Radio Chicago
Evanston Subaru
Core Center
Le Passage
Pivot Point Academy
Broadway in Chicago
Sidetrack Nightclub
Barely Standing Rock Band
Hydrate Nightclub
Baton Show Lounge
Williams Inn
Jeffrey Pub
Miss Foozie
Resnick Auto
Robert Jeffrey Hair Salon
Folia Brasil
Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce
Chicago Smelts
Hunters Nightclub
Club Krave
Pop Goes the Gio
Chicago History Museum
Looking Glass Theatre
Bailiwick Theatre
Velvet Rope
Berlin Bar
PDQ Construction
After Dark
Marbles Brain Store

Corporations

United Way
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Holiday Inn Express
Orbits
Northrop Grumman
Google
MB Financial
Restoration Salon
Office Max
Astellas Pharma
Domicile Furniture
Chase Bank
Sears Holding
Bank of America
I-Go Car Share
Exelon Corp.
Frito-Lay
PepsiCo
LA Tan
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Caribou Coffee
Miller Lite
Sara Lee
KPMG
Wrigley Co.

Pro-gay Organizations

Anti-Defamation League
Civil Rights Agenda
Ride for AIDS
Tree House Humane Society
Fillipino Pride
Just Married
GayMatchChicago.com
Active Transportation Alliance
Ram/Leather/Cupid/Banana
Chicago Gender Society
New Town Alano Club
Spin Nightclub
Gay Liberation Network
Lambda Legal
Windy City Black LGBT Pride
Dignity Chicago
Human Rights Campaign
PFLAG
Dykes on Bikes
Equality Illinois
Chicago NOW

Schools & Professional Organizations

University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Chicago
Illinois Bar Association
Indiana University GLBT Alumni
Unite Here
Chicago Boyz (University of Chicago)
Harrington College
Hoosier Honeys
Indiana University GLBT Alumni
Columbia College
ROTC Chicago
Roosevelt University
SEIU Council
Beta Gamma
Dartmouth Club
Harrington College

Religious Organizations

Chicago Theological Seminary
St. James Cathedral
Holy Convenant United Methodist Church
Countryside Unitarian Universalists
Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches
Congregation Or Chadash
Bodhi Spiritual Center
Night Ministry

Misc. 

Technosexual
TransAction
Mercy for Animals
Gay McHenry
Chicago Spirit Brigade
Howard Brown Health Center
Yelp.com
Asians & Friends Chicago
Windy City Cowboys
Chicago Prime Timers
Puerto Rican Cultural Center/VIDA SIDA
Howard Area Community Center
Join the Impact
Center on Halsted
Chicago Gay Hockey
Jane Addams Hull House