CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Democratic leaders in the Illinois General Assembly are pushing back a planned special legislative session aimed at increasing legal protections for abortion providers and patients in Illinois.
Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside released a joint statement Tuesday stating they would call lawmakers back to Springfield “in the coming months” to work on strengthening the already formidable abortion protections in a state where the procedure is enshrined in law as a “fundamental right.”
Just two weeks ago, the three Democrats had said they planned to hold a special session after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed the right to obtain an abortion with minimal government interference. One aim of the special session is also to make sure Illinois is prepared for a greater influx of people from other states crossing into Illinois to terminate a pregnancy, Pritzker has said.
