Dupage Policy Journal

Veteran state Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) hopes there is a price that Democrats in Springfield are forced to pay for all their extreme politics.

“You’ve heard that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” Oberweis told the DuPage Policy Journal. “In the state of Illinois, we have the situation of absolute power. There’s little check on Democrats. They have supermajorities in the House and Senate plus they have the governor.”

Oberweis points to the current push to repeal the state’s Parental Notification Act as the latest example of how he thinks Democratic Party leaders have blatantly abused all their power. Coming on the heels of the passage of the Reproductive Health Act that establishes abortion as a “fundamental right” in the state, a repeal of parental notification would strip away statutes now requiring a minor to inform her parents that she plans to have an abortion at least 48 hours before the procedure can be performed, with penalties for doctors who fail to comply.

Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove)

“I think it’s a very, very bad idea having young teenagers in a situation like that,” Oberweis said. “Frequently, schools require notifications for very minor things. This is not a minor thing and I think parental involvement would be very important.”

Oberweis said he sees only one way of ending what he views as sheer lunacy emanating from the state capital.

“We have to elect more Republicans to get a little more balance in legislation,” he said. 

Currently, at least 15 states, including neighboring Iowa, have laws that require parental notice prior to a minor being able to have an abortion.