Religious Groups Protest New Abortion Bill in Illinois
- By Derek Welch --
- 03 Oct 2017 --
In surprise decision, Gov. Rauner approves bill to expand abortion coverage.
On Thursday, September 28, the governor of Illinois signed a bill expanding abortion care within the state. Governor Bruce Rauner, signing the HB40 guaranteed abortion care would be catered for under Medicaid funds. The bill is meant to ensure even women living under low-income conditions have access to the abortion procedure. The decision came as a surprise to many since the governor himself was against the bill in late spring this year.
Religious Groups Protest New Abortion Bill in Illinois[/tweetthis]
When asked how this would affect his re-election for a second term, Governor Rauner said that he has “to be consistent with my values.” He maintained his views that all women should have the right to make the same decision regardless of their financial status. Saying that he understood that there were different points of view from a moral and religious perspective, the governor who seemed solemn still went ahead to make the announcement.
This controversial bill that makes the American taxpayers foot the bill for the procedure was met with a lot of criticism from the governor’s party. The conservative Republicans cited this as “an absolute betrayal,” seeing as they were to veto the bill. The state representative, Peter Breen, now predicted that the governor would now face a difficult time in his re-election next year in the gubernatorial race that Democrat candidates are now lining up for.
The decision was also met with disagreement from Rauner’s running mate, Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti who cited her reasons for opposing the bill as being deeply personal. “I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for a 15-year-old refugee who chose to have me and keep me,” she said Sanguinetti, however, urged that this decision should not be the cause for a division amongst the party members, but rather they should focus on agreeable matters and enact reforms in Illinois.
The decision made by the governor has brought a significant change to the state of Illinois and his future career. As to whether his decision will prove fruitful in his next campaign, only time will tell.
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