Illinois Leads the Way for Women’s Abortion Access

On the heels of the anniversary of the passage of the federal Hyde Amendment, Governor Bruce Rauner took a bold step by announcing he will sign into law House Bill 40, allowing state public funding for abortion and ensuring it remains legal in Illinois. Jon O’Brien, President of Catholics for Choice issued the following statement.

“We commend Governor Rauner for trusting women and supporting equal access to abortion so that all women can be empowered to make their own moral decisions about their bodies in good conscience. We applaud him for listening to the majority of Catholics who support equal access to abortion and for not bending a knee to ultraconservative bishops who try to dictate public policy for everyone else.

It is not always easy to do the right thing, but Governor Rauner has shown tremendous political and moral leadership by backing compassionate, commonsense policy. He has stood boldly by his campaign message against policies that unfairly restrict abortion access for Illinois’ poorest women. His decision should serve as a shining example for the rest of the country.

Catholics are guided by their faith to support social justice and freedom of conscience. Sixty percent of Catholic voters nationwide believe having an abortion can be a moral decision and a majority support Medicaid coverage for abortion.”

To learn more about our nationwide campaign supporting public funding for abortion, visit Abortion in Good Faith. If you live in Illinois and want to thank Governor Rauner, visit here.

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Note to editors: Participants of the Abortion in Good Faith campaign are available for interviews; please contact us at media@catholicsforchoice.org to schedule an interview. More information about the campaign is available at InGoodFaith.us.