The Illinois House voted Thursday against a bill that would have allowed teenagers to talk to a counselor before an abortion instead of notifying their parents. Rather than waiting 48 hours, which current statute requires, teens would have been able to have an abortion immediately after meeting with a counselor.
“Under this bill, parents would not know their child is to undergo a serious medical procedure that can have serious and long-lasting medical, emotional and psychological consequences,” Zack Wichmann of the Catholic Conference of Illinois said in a statement.
“This legislation seeks to create the appearance of a parental notice law without involving parents or requiring any notice.”
