ST. CHARLES — When the United States Supreme Court decided Dobbs v. Jackson in June, it overturned Roe v. Wade, ending 50 years of a constitutional right to abortion.
Illinois sits in the middle of states that have banned or restricted access to abortion, so women are traveling here, said Rianne Hawkins, director of advocacy and campaigns for Illinois Family Planning.
“I work at the Springfield Health Center, one of two health care facilities as far south as you can get in Illinois,” Hawkins said. “We regularly see license plates from states like Texas, Kentucky, Idaho, Ohio. People coming to Illinois seeking care. And they come to Planned Parenthood because they can get an appointment very quickly. We are able to absorb the additional impact on patients that comes into the state.
Hawkins was part of a forum organized by Kane County Democratic Women Thursday at the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in St. Charles, “Our Rights Are on the Ballot: The Impact of Dobbs vs. Jackson!”
About 20 people attended the 90-minute Q&A forum.
Also in attendance were Ameri Klafeta, director of the Women’s and Reproductive Rights Project for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, and State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin.
Lake County 19th Circuit Associate Judge Elizabeth Rochford, a candidate for the Supreme Court of Illinois in the November 8 general election, served as the keynote speaker.
As anti-abortion organizations and their supporters cheered Roe’s overthrow, it sent shockwaves through abortion rights groups, sparked marches and protests — and intensified political activism. targeting the November midterm elections.
“We need to make sure we elect pro-choice champions in every ballot to…maintain Illinois as a pro-choice haven,” Hawkins said. “It’s not just Illinois, it’s our whole country that’s counting on us.”
Hawkins said Illinois repealed its own trigger law in 2017 — Illinois’ Abortion Law of 1975 legalized abortion but would have reinstated the ban if Roe was overturned. It also passed the Reproductive Health Act in 2019 and this year repealed the 1995 Parental Abortion Notification Act.
“Extreme politicians are still determined to take away our rights,” Hawkins said. “In states like Indiana, West Virginia, and South Carolina, those legislatures came into effect very quickly following that decision to almost completely ban abortion. … Right here in Illinois, thanks to champions like Anna Moeller, abortion is legal in the state of Illinois.
The voters’ choice for the first time in 22 years
Rochford is a Democrat running once morest Republican Mark Curran Jr. for the Supreme Court of Illinois’ Second District, which includes DeKalb, Kendall, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties. Curran, a lawyer and former Lake County sheriff, has an endorsement from Illinois Right to Life, according to his site Internet.
“This seat has always been in the hands of a Republican. It’s always been in the hands of a man,” Rochford said. “This redesigned constituency does not in any way guarantee the election of a Democrat, but it does create an opportunity for the very first time.”
Illinois Supreme Court justices are selected by geographic regions, work as a team, and their decisions affect the entire state, Rochford said.
If voters have never heard of having a state Supreme Court justice to vote for, it’s because the last time that happened was in 2000, he said. she declared.
“Twenty-two years ago there was an election like this, for an open seat with parties clashing. And that won’t happen once more for at least 10 years because the tenure of Supreme Court justices is 10 years,” Rochford said. “After 10 years, it’s a retention ballot, which means it’s a yes-no ballot, not an open election.”
In a retention election, the judge needs 50% of the vote to remain on the bench.
“It’s very likely that if we make a mistake electing this Supreme Court Justice, it will be a generation before we have a chance to undo her,” Rochford said.
The state high court might change
Currently, four Democrats and three Republicans sit on the Illinois Supreme Court in five districts, with Cook County having three. An election is also being held in the Third District between Republican Michael Burke and Democrat Mary O’Brien.
The Illinois Supreme Court deals with the most important and important cases and constitutional questions, Rochford said.
“If those two seats go to Republicans, the majority … will move to a Republican court,” Rochford said.
Rochford has a 35-year career as an attorney, assistant district attorney and Lake County judge for 10 years.
The Illinois State Bar Association and DuPage County Bar Association called her “Highly Recommended” and the Lake County Bar Association called her “Highly Qualified.” ”, the highest possible ratings from each organization, she said.
Both the status bar and the DuPage bar noted that Curran was not recommended.
According to Curran’s campaign website, curranforcourt.com, “For 58 years, the Democratic Party has ruled the Illinois justice system. We have lost confidence in our courts and are victims of corruption.
“We can restore faith in our courts, protect our rights, enforce our laws and end corruption,” according to the website. “With the new map, District 2 is the absolute battleground for trends and therefore Court decisions in the future.”
Rochford said the judges were at the bottom of the ballot and urged voters to read the candidates through to the end.
“We’re going to need your help because getting this word out is a really overwhelming task,” Rochford said.
Illinois repealed its trigger law
Moeller said that in 2016, when Donald Trump was elected president, she described herself as naïve to think Roe was in danger.
When another lawmaker suggested repealing Illinois’ own trigger law, Moeller said she didn’t believe it.
“Roe will never leave,” Moeller told his fellow lawmaker.
Then, last summer, she turned out to be wrong in her thinking.
“Obviously we can’t rest on our laurels,” Moeller said. “We are still an election away from these overturned rights. It’s so important that we elect Justice Rochford because we know there are lawsuits going on right now that would take away our rights, overturn the laws that we passed. And we know women in the Midwest are counting on us. Women who come here every day to access health care.
Moeller was named to the Dobbs Task Force, which includes the ACLU and other abortion rights advocates. The task force is reviewing Illinois’ health care conscience law that protects doctors and pharmacists who do not want to provide reproductive health care, Moeller said.
It was amended to require them to provide information regarding where patients can obtain these services, but Moeller said she fears religiously affiliated hospital systems will use it to deny care.
ACLU supports abortion rights
Klafeta said the Women’s and Reproductive Rights Project for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois is nonpartisan and provides education and information.
“One of our top priorities is reproductive rights — and has been for decades,” Klafeta said. “The Dobbs decision was devastating. He reversed a 50-year-old precedent in our country. It is unprecedented for the court to take away a right that people have enjoyed for half a century.
The court ruling returned abortion to the United States, she said.
“We know that when the dust settles, 22 states in this country will probably have banned or are trying to ban abortion,” Klafeta said. “Illinois is right in the middle of all the banned states.”
“What the Dobbs decision didn’t do was change anything here in Illinois,” Klafeta said. “Starting in the ’70s in Illinois, we had really, really hostile abortion laws…The ACLU fought…for decades. We have suspended many of these restrictions. And over time, the political climate in the state has changed.
Klafeta said one of her responsibilities was to go to court with teenagers who wanted abortions but mightn’t go see their parents.
“And I can’t even tell you how much it means that the law on abortion by parental notification is off the books. It was the last hurdle,” Klafeta said. “It shows what happens when people show up and vote.”
As Illinois has become a mecca for abortion services, Klafeta assured the group that if someone in Illinois helps a woman from a state where abortion is illegal, that person cannot be prosecuted. .
“We are in a new legal world,” Klafeta said. “As of now, no one has criminalized leaving the state or helping someone, but it’s hard to get a clear answer on anything.”
Moeller said that if Illinois lost its Democratic majority in the house, senate, or executive, or if Congress turned around and headed for a federal ban, it would “undo everything we’ve done in the Illinois”.
“These rights are very much under threat,” Moeller said. “Lindsey Graham has already introduced a bill that would ban it following 15 weeks. And Republicans didn’t like this bill because it was too lenient.
Graham is a Republican United States Senator from South Carolina.