East Central Reporter

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) is slamming Gov, J.B. Pritzker for signing legislation limiting pregnancy resource centers, which provide mothers an alternative to abortion clinics. 

“An ultrasound showing the beating heart of a baby girl is not ‘misinformation,’” Miller said on Facebook. "Why is Governor Pritzker so afraid of mothers seeing an ultrasound? Is Governor Pritzker afraid that someone will use technology to show a mother her baby and let her hear the heartbeat? Is he afraid that an informed mother will choose life?" 

"Is he afraid that a scared or desperate mother will find loving support through a pregnancy center? J.B. Pritzker is not ‘pro-choice,' he is pro-abortion.”

Peter Breen, Executive Vice President and Head of Litigation at the Thomas More Society, representing the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) and other pro-life organizations, filed a lawsuit challenging the law's enforcement, arguing that it infringes upon First Amendment rights and unfairly targets pregnancy centers that provide free services to women and families, DuPage Policy Journal reported.

A report from the Society for Family Planning reveals that Illinois experienced a nearly 30% increase in abortions in the months following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The surge in abortions in Illinois comes as many patients from states that have banned the procedure, such as Missouri, Arkansas, and Kentucky, travel to Illinois for the procedure. Meanwhile, other states in the south-central region saw a 96% decrease in the number of abortions during the same period, highlighting the impact of abortion restrictions in those areas, according to St. Louis Public Radio. 

“Illinois is currently the state experiencing the second highest increase in abortion care,” the University of Chicago said in its “Illinois Abortion Update.”

The report reveals a significant increase in abortion procedures in Illinois between April and August 2022, with a total of 30,300 abortions performed in that period, accounting for 7.3% of all abortions in the United States.