Republican governor candidates worry Illinois to become 'Mecca' for Midwest abortions

[May 04, 2022]  By Greg Bishop | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Abortion access now could be a key issue in this year’s Illinois elections.

Following the revelation Monday night of a draft U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion that signals abortion regulations would be up to individual states, Gov. J.B. Pritzker told CNN that Illinois needs to do more to expand access, even to those who live out of state.

“We’ve seen thousands of women here left with no other choice but to cross state lines here in order to access their rights,” Pritzker said.

State Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, is one of six Republicans looking to take on Pritzker in November. He criticized Pritzker and Democrats for leaning toward more access to abortion.

“They want to come together to try and figure out how they can continue to destroy life, how they can make Illinois the Mecca, the abortion capital of the world,” Bailey said on a social media video. “They’ve already told us that.”

The Illinois Department of Public Health reports that in 2020, more than 46,000 abortions were performed in Illinois, of which more than 9,600 were out-of-state pregnancies terminated in Illinois.

Pritzker stood with other statehouse Democrats during a news conference Tuesday and said Illinois has expanded abortion access and expects to do more. He said with the hint of overturning Roe v. Wade, he expects political action.

“You are going to see marches,” Pritzker said. "You are going to see activism like you haven’t seen in quite some time."

A final ruling on the issue from the U.S. Supreme Court isn't expected for weeks.

Republican entrepreneur Jesse Sullivan also looks to take on Pritzker in November. He said in a social media video Tuesday the Democrats’ trajectory is troubling.

“Illinois is gonna be the Midwest destination, abortion capital destination of the country, and it’s really gonna be sad,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said the state should prioritize shoring up the beleaguered child welfare agency and focus on adoption instead of expanding access to abortion.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s campaign didn’t provide a statement on the issue when reached for comment Tuesday.

Businessman Gary Rabine criticized Irvin.

“With the recent draft opinion leaked yesterday indicating that the Supreme Court was going to strike down Roe V. Wade, Richard Irvin has been uncharacteristically silent,” Rabine said in a statement.

Others looking for the Republican nomination include state Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo, and attorney Max Solomon.

Solomon’s website says his campaign is strongly opposed to “all bureaucratic mechanisms that remove parental consent and notification for our daughters under 17 and the expansion of abortion access with taxpayer funding.”

Schimpf’s website doesn’t include abortion among his top issues but the candidate has said culture needs to change so abortion becomes unthinkable.

Greg Bishop reports on Illinois government and other issues for The Center Square. Bishop has years of award-winning broadcast experience and hosts the WMAY Morning Newsfeed out of Springfield.