Thomas More Society Urges Illinois Attorney General to Ask Federal Court to Permit Enforcement of the Illinois Law Mandating Parental Notice of Minors’ Abortions

Contact: Tom Brejcha, Esq., Chief Counsel, Thomas More Society, 312-590-3408 cell, 312-782-1680; Paul Linton, Esq., Special Counsel, Thomas More Society, 847-291-3848; Thomas Ciesielka, TC Public Relations, 312-422-1333, tc@tcpr.net

CHICAGO, Sept. 20 /Christian Newswire/ -- Just last week, the Chicago-based Thomas More Society, Pro-Life Law Center, placed in the hands of each of the seven Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court a petition from a coalition of pro-life, pro-family and religious groups in Illinois. It requested that the Justices hand down a new procedural rule which would allow appeals from trial court decisions denying minors’ requests for a “bypass” from the notice requirements mandated by the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995. 

That Act has won bipartisan support and was signed into law by pro-choice Governor Jim Edgar over a decade ago.  However, the federal district court in Chicago barred enforcement of the Act and made its Order “permanent”. The Illinois Supreme Court Justices at that time (6 of 7 having since been replaced) refused to issue such a rule, despite legislators’ having “respectfully requested” that they do so.  Today, however, under new Chief Justice Bob Thomas, the Court issued the necessary bypass appeal rule, “effective immediately.”

Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of Thomas More Society, said, “We salute our Supreme Court for issuing this new rule for implementation of the Parental Notice of Abortion Act.  The new rule negates any objections to enforcing parental notice in Illinois. Now we call on our Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, to go as promptly into federal district court and urge that the injunction against parental notice be lifted. It’s high time that Illinois parents have an opportunity to counsel their daughters about such vital matters, fraught with lifelong consequences.  Bypass procedures offer ample flexibility for those young women trapped in abusive or dysfunctional family situations.  On the other hand, those cases must not set the standard for all other Illinois families, in which parents love and care for their kids.”

The coalition represented by Thomas More Society includes Illinois Citizens for Life, the Illinois Federal for Right to Life, the Illinois Right to Life Committee, the Illinois Family Institute, Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum of Illinois, Orthodox Christians for Life-Chicago, Lutherans for Life, Concerned Christian Americans, and the Catholic Conference of Illinois.

About The Thomas More Society

The Thomas More Society is a non-profit, public interest law firm based in Chicago, Illinois.  It was founded in 1997 to meet the burgeoning legal needs of the pro-life movement. The Thomas More Society provides legal advice and assistance to those who face harassment, employment discrimination, unjust treatment, civil litigation or criminal prosecution as a result of their pro-life views or their peaceful protest activities.