D’Amico Measure Aiming to Protect Women’s Health Passes House

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Fighting against federal and judicial attacks on women’s health proactively, state Rep. John D’Amico, D-Chicago, helped pass legislation that he is sponsoring to ensure a women’s right to choose is protected in Illinois if the Supreme Court reverses nearly 50 years of legal precedent.

“The Trump administration has already made attacking a woman’s right to make their own health care decisions a priority,” D’Amico said. “Trump had indicated that opposing Row v. Wade is a prerequisite for any nominee that he would consider for the Supreme Court. By following through with that promise and nominating the anti-choice justice Neil Gorsuch, the law is in serious danger of being overturned.”

D’Amico is sponsoring and voted to pass House Bill 40, which would repeal Illinois’ “trigger law,” which has been state law since 1975. This out-of-date “trigger law” would automatically make abortion illegal in Illinois should federal courts overturn the constitutionally protected right to choose. D’Amico’s measure would protect Illinois’ women’s access to safe and legal reproductive health care, regardless of what Trump-appointed judges may decide at the federal level.

Recently, Governor Rauner has threatened to veto the legislation, despite indicating previously that he was pro-choice and supportive of proposal similar to House Bill 40.

“A woman’s decisions regarding her health should be made between her and her doctor, and extreme right-wing politicians like Trump should not be allowed to interfere,” D’Amico said. “I encourage the Governor to live up to the promises he made and stand up for women in Illinois by publicly supporting this proposal.”