Sen. Darren Bailey at a press conference in Chicago’s West Loop area. | Courtesy photo
Sen. Darren Bailey at a press conference in Chicago’s West Loop area. | Courtesy photo
State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) is blasting Gov. J. B. Pritzker over his signing of a law on Jan. 13 that protects reproductive and gender-affirming health care patients and providers from legal action originating across state lines.
"This is wrong. God help us," he said from the Senate floor on Jan. 10.
Bailey lost to Pritzker in the November general election. Pritzker received 54.9% of the votes compared to Bailey’s 42.4%.
Pritzker signed off on the legislation just hours after lawmakers approved the measure protecting Illinois' access to abortion from out-of-state meddling, making the state the latest to pursue such protections since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June.
Democratic governors in Colorado, North Carolina and Hawaii have all issued executive orders to protect abortion providers and patients from extradition to states that have banned the procedure, and in November voters in Michigan enshrined abortion rights in their state's constitution.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois said that since Roe was overturned, it has seen more out-of-state patients than ever. Before the high court's decision that replaced Roe and left abortion up to states, Planned Parenthood saw patients from 10 to 15 other states besides Illinois. Since then, its clinics have treated patients from 33 states.
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