Lake County Gazette

House Bill 40, promoted as a means of protecting a woman's right to abortion in Illinois, will do much more harm than good, Rep. Barbara Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake) argued recently.

“Proponents of House Bill 40 have repeatedly claimed it improves access to reproductive health care for women, but the facts couldn’t be further from the truth,” Wheeler said. “The legislation actually deteriorates protections for pregnant women by removing basic health care standards, preventing women from being provided basic information, and removing all rights from unborn children. How can any of that be good for women and families?”

Wheeler insisted there's a better and safer alternative that also mandates that physicians give women seeking abortions information about perinatal hospice care.

“Instead, House Bill 282, legislation to ensure pregnant women are protected from unsafe conditions, provided basic information, and to prevent discrimination against unborn children solely because of their race, color, sex, disability, national origin, or ancestry was not even given a committee hearing,” she said. “We need to reevaluate what it means to protect women and families, because it is clear House Bill 40 isn’t the answer.”

As of April 22, both HB40 and HB282 are with the House Rules Committee.