Lake County Gazette

State Rep. Sheri Jesiel (R-Winthrop Harbor) remains staunchly opposed to House Bill 40, a proposal she sees as so sinister it simultaneously strips the state of its humanity and robs it of any chance of an improving economy.

With estimates that it could cost taxpayers as much as $60 to fund at a time when the state is already billions in debt, the measure recently passed in the House 62-55 and will now move on to the senate, much to the dismay of the impassioned Jesiel.

“The lack of humanity is the big issue, but it would be fundamentally wrong not to mention the budget for a law that would allow taxpayer funding abortions at any stage,” Jesiel told the Lake County Gazette.

HB 40 would allow Medicaid recipients and state employees to use taxpayer money for elective abortion services. It also removes language mandating that an unborn child is legally considered a human being.

Jesiel is also concerned about how the bill would impact several other state laws rely on that definition. She vehemently argued on the House floor that the measure will effectively force every taxpayer in Illinois to fund abortions at any point in a pregnancy and for any reason, no matter what their personal stance on the issue.

“It’s disappointing that we’ve taken this step,” she said, adding “we are changing the culture in our state-- a culture that has always recognized the humanity of those in the womb.”

As for the state’s already fragile economic state and how it stands to be even further hampered by HB 40, Jesiel added legislators continue to add stressors to the budget that damage businesses and move them to want to steer clear of the region.

“Business is the engine to everything us, when you have more dollars in the system we can do better at funding our school, social programming and higher education,” Jesiel added. “Raising taxes amounts to just moving one bucket to another, it doesn’t put more money into the system.”

HB 40 was introduced by Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), who has insisted her actions were at least partly motivated by what’s happening at the federal level.

"After repeated threats from the White House and President Trump's remarks to strip abortion rights away from women, this legislation was necessary to safeguard a woman's right to make decisions that affect her personal health in Illinois," she said.