SPRINGFIELD – Following Wednesday’s House votes on Senate Bill 1169 to change the Health Care Right of Conscience Act to remove religious exemptions and House Bill 370 to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act, State Representative Brad Stephens (R-Rosemont) released the following response:
“My votes against both measures brought forward last night, House Bill 370 and Senate Bill 1169, reflected the voices of my constituents in the 20th district who expressed their staunch opposition to these bills.
“On the Health Care Right of Conscience Act amendment, this was the first time the legislature weighed on Governor Pritzker’s executive powers, and the House gave the Governor even more power over the healthcare decisions of our citizens, police, and first responders. This is another way for the Pritzker Administration to protect its right to mandate health care procedures and vaccines and to aid in its defense in pending lawsuits, even though the effective date for this amendment is June 1st, 2022. I did not support this effort to deny Illinoisans their right to object to being forced to take a COVID vaccine based on their sincerely held religious beliefs.
“In regards to repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion Act, any parent should have the right to know if their child is having a serious, medical, surgical procedure, and an abortion is a serious medical procedure. Parental notification also serves as an extra layer of protection against those who would exploit children. It is our responsibility as legislators to pass laws that protect our most vulnerable children, not put them at greater risk. Parental notification ensures a parent knows when their child is receiving an invasive medical procedure and allows them to understand the scope of the trauma if their child has been abused.”