Another Round for Illinois Parental Notification Law

By Liz Townsend

Despite ruling that Illinois’s 1995 parental notification law is constitutional and denying a legal challenge, Cook County Judge Daniel A. Riley extended a stay on the never-enforced law to allow pro-abortionists time to file further appeals.

Riley could find no legal grounds to uphold the challenge to the law filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), but expressed his personal opposition to the law. “The law in question is a rather unfortunate piece of legislation,” Riley said during a March 29 hearing, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s likely to cause more harm than good.”

The law requires abortionists to notify minor girls’ parents 48 hours before abortions, with exceptions for medical emergency and abuse, and it includes a judicial bypass. Similar laws have been passed in 44 other states, the Sun-Times reported.

“In the wake of today’s ruling, we are reviewing our legal options, including an appeal of the Judge’s decision,” Colleen Connell, ACLU of Illinois executive director, wrote on the group’s web site.

The attorney general’s office continues to defend the law in court. “There’s nothing wrong with Illinois encouraging a law that parents have involvement,” said assistant Illinois Attorney General Thomas Ioppolo, according to the Associated Press. “Courts have said that parents have a right to be involved in the decision.”

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