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Pritzker signs bills to protect reproductive rights: 'No longer enough to legislate for the current moment'

By Jenna Carroll
Published  August 7, 2024 12:31pm CDT
J.B. Pritzker
FOX 32 Chicago

Pritzker expands reproductive rights in Illinois

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a series of bills Wednesday morning to protect reproductive rights. He said he can't wait around and be reactive, he wants to be proactive for the pro-choice majority.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed multiple bills on Wednesday designed to further protect reproductive rights in Illinois. 

The bills included HB581, which makes sure pregnant women can get the emergency medical care they need, HB5239, which strengthens Illinois' shield laws, and HB4867, which updates the Illinois Human Rights Act to ban discrimination based on reproductive health decisions.

"It is no longer enough to legislate for the current moment. We sadly have to anticipate a future when the Supreme Court and other bad actors further restrict and punish women seeking to exercise their medical rights and control over their bodies. ​ These new laws will ensure that women in Illinois and those traveling from out of state can avoid persecution and discrimination on every level," said Pritzker. "These laws work together alongside the legislation my administration has already put in place to ensure providers and patients alike can make the best decisions for themselves, their bodies, and their families without fear of retribution or legal liability from hostile states."

Pritzker said that passing HB5239 will make sure doctors in Illinois can keep providing emergency care, including abortions when needed to save a patient’s life. It also means women can still get crucial reproductive care, even if federal laws change.

In January 2023, Pritzker put into place an interstate shield law. This law protects healthcare providers, patients, and anyone helping patients from losing their licenses or facing legal actions from other states.

Pritzker said HB5239 will expand those protections even further. With this law, state and local authorities in Illinois can't share information or resources with out-of-state entities trying to investigate legal healthcare provided in Illinois, including abortions and gender-affirming care.

HB4867 will update the Illinois Human Rights Act to include reproductive health decisions. This covers personal choices about abortion, birth control, fertility treatments, sterilization, miscarriage care, assisted reproductive technologies like IVF, and prenatal, intranatal and postnatal care.

HB4867 also strengthens current anti-discrimination protections. It makes sure that people in Illinois can make reproductive health decisions without facing discrimination. Pritzker mentioned that this law works alongside the protections already in place under the Reproductive Health Act.