Illinois Senate Approves Sweeping Abortion Rights Bill

Late Friday night, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that would establish a "fundamental right" to abortion in the state. The sweeping bill, known as the Reproductive Health Act, repeals the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975, removing provisions on spousal consent, waiting periods, and other regulatory requirements on abortion facilities, and states that a "fertilized egg, embryo or fetus does not have independent rights." The bill also repeals the state's partial-birth abortion ban, although the existing federal ban remains in place. Governor J.B. Pritzker has already indicated his intent to sign the bill. "Illinois is making history, because our state will now be the most progressive in the nation for reproductive healthcare," Pritzker said in a statement.