Posted by Matt Yonke (April 1, 2009 at 1:18 pm)
Monday, March 30, more than 30 people came out to protest HB2354 in front of the district office of State Representative Kay Hatcher (R-50th).
Leading the protest were local pro-lifers Dan Wurtz and Julie Van Domelen of Holy Cross Church in Batavia. Dan and Julie had arranged a meeting with Rep. Hatcher and to deliver the hundreds of petition signatures against HB2354 from her district. They used that time to bring a peaceful, prayerful protest against HB2354 and Rep. Hatcher’s stand in support of it. Dan had this to say about the meeting:
Mrs. Hatcher was honest and to the point. While expressing reservations on HB-2354 she did say, “If you were to categorize me it would be Pro-Choice.” I sensed genuine conflict on the bill, but didn’t think that it alone would influence her vote.
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Posted by Research Team (March 31, 2009 at 7:26 pm)
UPDATE: The text of the amendment has been released. New package, same old FOCA!
Our efforts are having a great impact. Realizing that the people of Illinois are rejecting Illinois FOCA, the anti-life proponents of HB 2354 are circulating have filed an amendment to the bill.
The Catholic Conference of Illinois has also issued new talking points for the new amendment.
Now, more than ever, we must redouble our efforts!
Posted by Matt Yonke (March 31, 2009 at 3:50 pm)
The Coalition has just received word that the deadline for passing HB2354, the pernicious “Illinois FOCA” bill, is this Friday, April 3!
With that in mind, we need calls to State Reps today. Go to the contact page and find your State Rep’s contact information and call them today and tell them to Vote NO on HB2354.
But we also have to be aware that they’re also trying to amend this horrible bill to make HB2354 palatable to State Reps still sitting on the fence.
The proposed amendment put forth in the House yesterday does nothing but tinker with some of the conscience clause language. It affords no real protection to health care workers.
What’s more, the proposed amendment does nothing to address the
three other major problems with HB2354:
- HB2354 will FUND thousands of abortions with taxpayer money
- HB2354 will REQUIRE condom training sex-ed in our schools
- HB2354 will NULLIFY the Illinois Parental Notice Act
We need to keep up the pressure on our State Reps in Springfield to
stop this bill. They need to know that the proposed changes to the
bill are not enough — the whole thing needs to be trashed.
Urge your friends and family in Illinois to call their State Reps as well. Even if you’ve called before, your Rep needs to hear from you again.
The pro-choice forces have been fighting hard with editorials in newspapers, lobbying and letter-writing campaigns. We need to make sure our voices are heard as well.
We can defeat this bill if we act today.
Action Items:
- Call your State Rep TODAY and tell them to vote NO on HB2354.
- Call or e-mail your Illinois friends and family and tell them to call their State Reps today as well.
- Make sure your State Rep knows that the amendments to the bill make no impact on the main intolerable points of the bill.
Posted by Research Team (March 31, 2009 at 3:48 pm)
Over 200 people participated at an impromptu protest at the Woodstock district office of Jack Franks (D-63rd) this past Saturday. Franks is a co-sponsor of HB2354.
Visit McHenry County Blog for more pictures and full details.
Posted by Matt Yonke (March 31, 2009 at 12:26 pm)
One of the central issues in the fight against HB2354 is the impact it could have on our kids by way of the mandatory sex-ed it would impose on all Illinois public schools.
With that in mind, who’s running for school board in your area? Do you know the candidates? Do you know where they stand on comprehensive sex-ed and other issues that effect Illinois families?
What can you do to foster a pro-life school board?
If you do know, post what you know about the candidates in the comments section below so others can benefit. If you don’t know, find out and report back with the information.
- To find out who’s running, can check with your local board of elections or election commission.
- Call candidates in your area and ask them their position on sex-ed, their position on parental involvement in sex-ed curriculum and any other issues you think would be important to Illinois families.
- Post your findings in the comment section below.
Together, we can be informed voters and impact Illinois for the good of families.
Posted by Eric Scheidler (March 25, 2009 at 8:41 pm)
In a desperate bid to undermine the groundswell of opposition to HB2354, supporters of this pernicious piece of legislation have taken to lying about the bill. It’s no wonder. To plainly spell out the provisions of the bill is to expose its radicalism.
A case in point: Today I heard report of a interesting phone call received by a pro-lifer named Emily. Not only is Emily pro-life—she works at a pregnancy center. So when she received a call—on her cell phone, no less—about HB2354, she was already armed with the truth about the bill.
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Posted by Mary-Louise Kurey (March 23, 2009 at 12:22 am)
There have been several requests for more detailed analysis of key provisions of the Illinois FOCA bill, HB 2354. The Research Team prepared the following summary of Section 15, that would invalidate parental notice, physician-only, and other common-sense regulations on abortion.
SUMMARY: Section 15 would invalidate all common sense restrictions on abortion in Illinois, including requirements: (i) to notify a parent before her minor daughter undergoes an abortion (“parental notice”), (ii) to prohibit anyone other than a licensed physician from performing an abortion (“physician-only”), and (iii) to establish regulations on the performance of abortions in outpatient facilities (“health and safety regulations”). Each of these measures would incrementally increase the cost or burden of obtaining an abortion, and therefore constitute an invalid “interference” with the right of abortion under Section 15, even though these are common sense measures that protect minor girls and women. The following is a more detailed look at the context and specific provisions.
1. Abortion As a Fundamental Right. Section 15 would establish abortion as a fundamental right in Illinois and would supersede and invalidate any legal requirement that establishes any restriction on abortion. [Continue reading ...]
Posted by Mary-Louise Kurey (March 22, 2009 at 11:59 pm)
There have been several requests for more detailed analysis of key provisions of the Illinois FOCA bill, HB 2354. The Research Team prepared the following summary of the civil and criminal immunity provisions in Section 25.
SUMMARY: Section 25 would establish limited civil and criminal immunity for doctors and other medical personnel that harm women in abortions. The civil immunity provision would increase the legal burden on any woman harmed in a botched abortion who seeks to recover damages in a private suit. The criminal immunity provision would grant a “Get Out of Jail Free Card” to medical professionals who otherwise may be criminally-liable for egregious conduct, and effectively confer greater protection from criminal liability for abortionists than for “Good Samaritan” physicians who provide care in free clinics and emergency situations. A detailed overview of the context and provisions follow below.
1. Cases Involving Botched Abortions. It happens all too often. A doctor botches an abortion and harms a woman. One recent case involved 18 year old Sycloria Williams in Florida. [Continue reading ...]
Posted by Matt Yonke (March 20, 2009 at 4:24 pm)
His Eminence Iakovos, Metropolitan of the Greek Othodox Metropolis of Chicago, has issued a letter [PDF] letter to be read in every Church in the Metropolis this Sunday denouncing HB2354 and urging all the Christians to take action against the bill.
In his letter, the Metropolitan says:
It is high time for Christians to raise their own voices to demand their elected officials attend to the “weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.” Perhaps those who want this bill believe we will be distracted by the economic crisis facing our nation and affecting many of us personally.
We must resist the temptation, especially during this Lenten season, to neglect this matter as “someone else’s problem.” None of us wants the government to come between us and our doctor. We should likewise not want the government to come between health care workers and their God. If we allow one step, we will never prevent the next.
Praise God for Church leaders like Metropolitan Iakovos.
Posted by Eric Scheidler (March 19, 2009 at 4:16 pm)
I’ve just added a page to this site to help people keep up with the latest action on the bill in the House of Representatives down in Springfield. You can see that page on the left under “Main Pages”.
It’s contains a link to the Bill Status page at the Illinois General Assembly site. Scroll down the list of actions to see the most recent activity, such as sponsors being removed from the bill.
