May 2, 2023
Guest post by SFLA Upper Midwest Regional Coordinator Tom Usle
GUEST POST: A group of more than 100 concerned pro-life citizens recently assembled on the steps of the Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois to protest Senate Bill 1909; the ironically titled “Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act.” Here’s how this piece of legislation is hypocritical and why we stood up against it:
SB1909 seeks to fine pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) that refuse to refer for abortion up to $50,000 and face possible closure.
The sponsors of SB1909 claim that PRCs use deceptive means to turn women away from abortion by offering women information and life-affirming alternatives — how dare they give them a choice, right? This bill and the unanimous vote of approval from Senate Democrats on it flies in the face of what many abortion supporters like to call themselves: “pro-choice.” It isn’t pro-choice to take choices away from women in need. That’s just pro-abortion.
Prior to this bill passing in the Senate, nearly 9,000 witness slips from Illinois citizens were filed in opposition to the bill, and only 2,725 filed in its favor. Despite the public’s clear disapprobation to targeting PRCs, pro-abortion legislators seem to have forgotten their oath to serve their elected body in their fixation of furthering the abortion industry’s agenda.
To call out SB1909, several speakers addressed the crowd at the Springfield Capitol, including Students for Life Action, the Pro-Life Action League, Illinois Right to Life, and other organizations and pregnancy centers that serve the state of Illinois. We spoke out on the hypocrisy of this bill’s targeting PRCs for not offering or referring for abortions when abortion facilities have nothing to offer women who wish to carry their child to term. While PRCs nationwide offer resources like ultrasounds, counseling before and after abortion, financial aid, parenting classes, item drives, childcare assistance, and adoption services for little to no cost, the abortion giant Planned Parenthood is out for women’s wallets and barely offers prenatal care according to their own website.
Watch this Live Action video below, showing that the majority of Planned Parenthood facilities do not offer prenatal care:
After an informative rally on the steps of the Capitol, the attendees made their way into the building to meet with their legislators and inform them of the dangers of SB1909 before it is put to a vote in the House. If the bill is passed by the Illinois House, PRCs across the state will pay the price for their service, as will the women who are desperately seeking the support those centers offer every day.
We cannot allow women to be cornered like this when they are in need — stay tuned to hear updates from the SFLAction blog on this bill.