By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – The six top Catholics of Illinois – Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and the five bishops of the state’s other dioceses – joined a doctor and a nurse from Catholic hospitals to speak against any expansion of abortion.
They’re against a proposal to repeal the parental notification law and a more comprehensive Reproductive Health Act.
For Cupich, the legislature is considering abandoning the status quo in favor of going well beyond Roe v. Wade.
“This is a radical departure from what we have. This is not about the issue of a right to an abortion, but it is about vacating any rights and dignity for an unborn child that, in fact, were not decided by Roe v. Wade.”
Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago), a sponsor of the bill, said, “I disagree with the cardinal, but that’s okay.”
Sims also brushed aside a Peoria obstetrician’s concerns that the law regarding “conscience” would force providers to go against their religious beliefs, saying that’s not the intent of his bills.
An e-mailed statement from Planned Parenthood, accusing the cardinal of spreading misinformation, backed Sims up, saying, “Health care professionals currently have broad protections to refuse to provide any health care to which they object. The Reproductive Health Act does not change those rights which are guaranteed by the Illinois Health Care Right Of Conscience Act.”
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]
