FIGHT ILLINOIS FOCA

+JMJ+

It boggles my mind how Illinois is facing its most crucial legislative battle and NOBODY is talking about it.

I've been eating, breathing and sleeping (well, not really sleeping these past few days) HB 2354, the so-called Reproductive Health and Access Act. This is essentially Illinois' "FOCA." Yeah...accept, it could very well be worse than any Federal FOCA.

Check out this website for more info on the bill, and also the highly successful petition against HB 2354. We are over 2,500 signatures in 2 weeks!!

I never thought my life would be marked by weekly visits to Springfield, but so it has ever since March rolled around! On Wednesday 03/11, just 2 days ago, I was an official witness at the Human Services Committee Hearing, during which HB 2354 was voted for, 5-2, despite excellent testimony from leaders in the pro-life movement.

I was so irritated by the ACLU and Planned Parenthood...Barbara Flynn Currie, the bill sponsor (a "Catholic", by the way), was very articulate as she parroted what the ACLU attorney whispered in her ear during the hearing, in response to her colleague's questions. If you aren't familiar with how such a hearing works on the state-level, essentially, the bill sponsor replies to any questions from committee members regarding the bill. Those testifying (both for and against the bill), cannot reply, even if the bill sponsor's information is incorrect or misleading.

HB 2354 boils my blood on so many levels. What horrifies me most, though, is how misinformed OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES ARE regarding this bill! Every Rep I visited on Wednesday either had not even looked at the bill, or was not aware of the provisions and how far reaching they are--they are learning about HB 2354 through PP, Personal PAC, Currie and her cronies, NOT from the ACTUAL TEXT OF THE BILL.

Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, you don't want this bill to go through. Among other things, it would:

1) De-regulate abortion: abortion would become a fundamental right, and laws such as Parental Notification or the Ban on Partial Birth Abortion or the Infant Born Alive Protection Act would be null and void

2) Increases TAX PAYER FUNDING of abortion. Illinois has the worse deficit of any state in the union. Are you telling me we should be funding abortions with our VERY limited resources??

3) This bill grants IMMUNITY to abortion doctors if they happen to harm a woman during the procedure, as long as they act in "good faith" (actual text from the bill). So, who defines good faith?

4) Comprehensive sex ed for public schools: We are talking K-12, people. The state decides what is age-appropriate...and I've seen the document that the curricula would be based upon. All I have to say is, if you are a parent, start writing your requests for exemption from sex ed (unless you are o.k. with your 5 year old learning about masturbation).

5) Rights of Conscious: GONE. That is right. Catholic hospitals and health care systems would be forced to cooperate with abortion, or SHUT DOWN. Physicians could be forced to perform abortions...and pharmacists to distribute emergency contraception...it may even impact the counseling done at Catholic Charities--imagine if Catholic Charities were forced to refer for abortions???

DO YOU SEE HOW SERIOUS THIS IS??

This is NOT just Illinois' problem, either. If this thing passes in Illinois, watch out, cause YOUR STATE IS NEXT!

We need all the PRAYERS we can get for the defeat of HB 2354. We need this story to hit the national media. People NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON. The language of this bill goes against what 86% of Americans want: some sort of tangible restrictions on abortion.

This bill is all about abortion, unfettered!

If you are able to help us in Illinois, please let me know. Pray, pray, pray! Check out my Twitter account for more regular, live updates (Lilies159). God bless!