Illinois state Rep. Amy Grant (R-Wheaton) has more than enough reasons for being so staunchly opposed to attempts at repealing the state’s parental notification law stated in abortion legislation.
“It’s a terrible thing,” Grant told the DuPage Policy Journal of a bill that would eliminate the law requiring that parents be made aware of their daughter’s plans to have an abortion at least 48 hours before any such procedure can take place. “The reason it’s a bad thing is the state of Illinois is 10th in the nation for human trafficking, and most girls that are human trafficked are between the ages of 12 and 14. If the girl becomes pregnant and the pimp decides ‘we can’t have this, we’ll take her for an abortion,’ they’ll be able to do it.”
Grant said the same scenario could play out anytime a young girl is taken advantage of by any older man and forced to have an abortion she may not want to have.
Illinois state Rep. Amy Grant (R-Wheaton)
| repgrant.com
“I am not happy about it,” she added. “That should not be happening.
For all her resistance to attempts to repeal parental notification, Grant admits she worries the damage may already be done by virtue of the recent passage of the Reproductive Health Act that establishes abortion as a “fundamental right” in Illinois.
“I think whole thing of fundamental right can be challenged in court,” she said. “And if it’s challenged in court, the judge may rule the girl who’s not of age can have her abortion. She may have no need for parental consent because it’s a fundamental right.”
Currently, at least 15 states, including neighboring Iowa, have laws that require parental notice prior to a minor being able to have an abortion.
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