Gov. JB Pritzker calling special session to address reproductive rights

Posted on June 24, 2022
Gov. JB Pritzker calls for special session to address reproductive rights after U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. (Twitter/Governor JB Pritzker)

By WJBC Staff

CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker is calling for a special session in Springfield to address reproductive rights in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

The governor issued the following statement:

In Illinois, we trust women. Despite the action of the Supreme Court today overturning Roe v. Wade, the right to safe, accessible reproductive health care is in full force in Illinois – and will remain so.

In Illinois, we’ve planned for this terrible day, an enormous step backward and a shattering loss of rights. We passed the Reproductive Health Act, enshrining choice as the law of the land in Illinois. We removed the trigger law that would have prohibited abortion in Illinois with the overturning of Roe v Wade. We expanded health care so that finances are not a barrier to receiving reproductive care.

In Illinois, we are a state committed to expanding access to reproductive health care including abortion care, contraception access, fertility treatment and gender affirming care. We’ve made it clear that we trust people to make the best decisions for themselves about their own reproductive health.

In Illinois, we will hold firm to these rights and continue to work with stakeholders to expand them. To that end, I am calling the General Assembly into special session in the coming weeks, with the support and consultation of House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon. Together, we are committed to taking swift action to further enshrine our commitment to reproductive health care rights and protections.

WJBC News can be reached at [email protected]

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