Contact: Karen Hayes, Concerned Women for America of Illinois, 708-371-7810, 708-805-7725 cell

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill., Sept. 13 /Christian Newswire/ -- Concerned Women for America (CWA) gladly joined others in petitioning the Illinois Supreme Court to create rules necessary to enforce a ten year old state law requiring parents to be notified before an abortion can be committed on their minor daughters.

The Illinois Parental Notification of Abortion Act of 1995 was passed and signed into law, but remains unenforced because the Court has failed to write the judicial bypass rules required by the law. Consequently, Illinois continues to be a “user-friendly” state for under age girls to have abortions without their parents’ knowledge since we are the only state in the Midwest without a parental involvement law in effect.

This week, Thomas More Society, on behalf of ten organizations, including Concerned Women for America, filed a supplemental petition with the Illinois Supreme Court in support of State’s Attorney Joe Birkett’s petition. The petitions ask the Court to write the rules that will allow the law to be enforced.

Karen Hayes, state director of CWA of Illinois, lauds this petition effort, saying “It is unconscionable that a decade has passed since our Parental Notification Act was duly passed and signed into law, yet it remains unenforceable because our state’s highest court has not written the necessary rules.” She added, “Hopefully, these petitions will persuade the Court to issue the rules.”

Without parental notice, sexual predators can bring their young victims for an abortion in order to cover up their crimes. It is noteworthy that the majority of teenage mothers are being impregnated by adult men. Also, parental involvement laws are already in effect in 34 states. It is ironic that schools cannot give an aspirin to a minor without parental consent, yet Illinois allows a child to get an abortion without a parent being told.

Children are a gift of God to be protected and cared for. The notification law will help do that. Parental involvement laws are supported by an overwhelming majority of the public. The Illinois Supreme Court should respect the spirit and intention of the democratic process by creating the required rules for enforcing the parental notification law in our state.

Concerned Women for America is the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization.