Governor commemorates 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision

Posted on January 23, 2024
Gov. JB Pritzker Monday commemorated the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion. (WJBC file photo)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Legal abortion is no longer the law of the land, but Monday’s 51st anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision is still – to Gov. JB Pritzker and other advocates – worth commemorating.

“It’s a bittersweet day for all of us,” Pritzker said after a roundtable with providers, “because the right to an abortion has been taken away from more than half the women across the United States, and we all believe that is incredibly unfair and, in our view, unconstitutional.”

Pritzker said if you want to see the decimation of rights continue, vote Republican. He added former President Donald Trump appointed pro-life Supreme Court justices.

“The issue of abortion in the 2024 elections,” added the governor, “is perhaps the most intense issue that will be debated and discussed throughout this year.”

Pritzker said Illinois has become an oasis for women seeking abortion, many of whom come here from more restrictive states.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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