Illinois Considers Repealing Parental Notification For Minors Getting Abortions

The Illinois Senate voted to repeal a 1995 law Tuesday which required parents to be notified when their under-18 children seek out abortions.

The notification requirement does not require parents to consent to the procedure, according to the Associated Press. Approximately three quarters of Illinois residents favored the notification requirement in a 2020 poll.

Only one judge has denied an abortion to a minor since the law went into effect in 2013, AP reported.

Of the 38 states that require some level of parental involvement in abortions for minors, 21 require consent from a parent, according to Guttmacher Institute.

The Senate voted 33-22 in favor of repeal, with several Democrats voting to keep the notification requirement, AP reported. With two days left in the legislative session, the repeal effort is now moving to the House.

Illinois passed a law in June 2019 making abortion a “fundamental right” in the state.

The move by the Illinois Senate comes on the tail of the Supreme Court’s announcement that it will keep the Texas Heartbeat Bill in effect while litigation over the law’s constitutionality continues. The Court is also hearing arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Dec. 1, a case which challenges Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.