Planned Parenthood praised Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner for going back on his promise this week by signing a bill to force taxpayers to fund abortions through all nine months of pregnancy.
On Thursday, the pro-abortion Republican signed a bill to keep abortion on demand up to birth legal and establish the Land of Lincoln as a “safe haven” for women seeking abortions.
Rauner previously said he would veto the radical pro-abortion bill. He said taxpayer funding for abortion is too “divisive,” a fact backed up by polling. Polls consistently show that a strong majority of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortions, including those who identify as pro-choice.
But Rauner did not stick to his promise.
On Thursday, the abortion business Planned Parenthood praised Rauner for taking “the important step of signing HB 40 and safeguarding the right of a woman to safe and legal abortion regardless of how much money she makes or where she lives,” according to the News Tribune.
Forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions has been one of the abortion chain’s top political priorities. Jennifer Welch, the president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, lauded Rauner for helping them achieve that goal in Illinois.
“Thank you Governor Rauner for signing HB 40,” Welch said. “With access to abortion under attack at the federal level, it is essential to make sure that women will have access to safe and legal abortion in Illinois.”
A lot of people are not happy with Rauner, though, including millions of voters and female political leaders.
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Illinois Lieutenant Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti called the pro-abortion legislation a “political ploy” to divide the state. She also shared a very personal reason why she supports the right to life for unborn babies.
“As a pro-life Republican, I disagree with the Governor’s decision to sign HB 40,” Sanguinetti said. “I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for a 15-year-old refugee who chose to have me and keep me.”
State Sen. Sue Rezin also sharply criticized the governor for forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions when Illinois is facing a financial crisis.
“Not only can taxpayers not afford this, but polls show that the majority of people in our country don’t want their tax dollars funding abortion,” Rezin said. “As a mother of four, I am pro-life will continue to stand up for the unborn and taxpayers.”
The legislation likely will have devastating effects on unborn babies in Illinois.
Emily Troscinski, executive director of Illinois Right To Life, said the state once funded unrestricted abortions through Medicaid in the late 1970s, and taxpayers paid about $1.8 million for about 12,738 unborn babies’ abortion deaths at the time.
She predicted that state taxpayers will be forced to pay for as many as 12,000 unborn babies’ abortion deaths annually because of the legislation.
“House Bill 40 would undo a decades-old ban on taxpayer funding of abortion costing us thousands of lives a year,” Troscinski said.
According to the Pro-Life Action League, the bill also would keep abortion legal in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned.
Furthermore, the Illinois State Assembly synopsis of the bill says the bill would remove “language [from state law and policy] … that the unborn child is a human being from the time of conception and is, therefore, a legal person for purposes of the unborn child’s right to life.”
In October 2016, a Politico/Harvard University poll found that just 36 percent of likely voters supported taxpayer funding for abortions, while 58 percent opposed it. These findings are consistent with previous polls from various groups.
Interestingly, the poll also found that voters who make more than $75,000 were more supportive of forcing taxpayers to fund abortions (45 percent in favor), while those who make $25,000 or less were strongly against it (24 percent in favor).
ACTION: Complain to Gov. Rauner. Call Rauner at 217-782-0244. Or send him an electronic message here.
