Caucus News

AURORA – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) released the following statement after learning of the leaked Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade:

"It’s a sad day when we find the progress we’ve fought so hard to make for women could now be reversed. What more fundamental right could exist in a democracy than the right to make our own decisions about our bodies without interference from the government?

"Generations of women -- and their daughters and granddaughters -- fought for these rights through most of the 20th century. Their work brought us to a safer standard for reproductive health care for all women. Taking away this hard-earned right will cost lives. Lower income women will feel they have no other option but to resort to dangerous and deadly procedures that killed thousands of women before Roe v. Wade was established.

"As a woman leader in the Illinois State Senate, I will continue to work to ensure the rights of Illinois women are defended. I am proud to live in a state that has taken many actions to ensure women's rights will be protected here."

CHICAGO – After a draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked, State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) released the following statement:

“I am dumbfounded by the reports that the Supreme Court is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade. This ruling would not only take away women’s rights to their bodily autonomy, but it would also declare a war against working-class women.

“Abortions will continue to happen, they just will not be safe or legal in certain states. Thankfully, abortion rights are protected in Illinois, but the lives of many women will be put at risk elsewhere.

Bush reacts to leak of SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade

GRAYSLAKE — A steadfast advocate of a woman’s right to choose, State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) issued the following statement after a draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked:

“No person should be able to dictate or take away a woman’s right to choose. The move by the country’s top court is devastating, disheartening and downright appalling.

“History shows us that today’s move won’t ban abortion — it will ban safe abortion, putting women at greater health risks. When will enough be enough? When will we treat reproductive health care the same as all other forms of health care?

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) issued the following statement Tuesday in response to the majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court provisionally ruling to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade (1973) decision:

“Today, I seethe with anger over the leaked majority opinion, and I am in fear of women’s safety and our future. This decision is a direct attack on the rights of women, which have been under assault for the majority of our nation’s history. A woman’s right to choose is fundamental, and to remove the protections set forth by the critical 1973 ruling is to create dangerous, undue burden for one of our most vulnerable populations. Removing this precedent would not stop people from seeking abortion, but it would make them far less safe for those who employ their inalienable bodily autonomy to decide the course of action that is best for them.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) issued the following statement Tuesday in response to the majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court provisionally ruling to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade (1973) decision:

“I want to make this very clear: this proclamation is a vicious, deliberate attack on women –on poor women, on women of color, and on young women. The future we feared is here, and now is the time for clarity, intention and action. The highest court in the land is saying to women, ’You have no power.’ The highest court in the land is saying to women, ’You have no value.’ The highest court in the land is wrong, and we here in Illinois will stand for equity. We here in Illinois will always protect the reproductive freedoms of Illinoisans.”

“Today, that is not enough. In 2019, more than 7,000 non-residents came to our state to obtain legal, safe abortions –more than two times the number of women who sought refuge in 2014. We need more than just in-state protections. We must speak to the women of our nation sitting at home right now, paralyzed by pure terror. Here and now, let us reassure them that the state of Illinois will remain a beacon of hope. Illinois will not fail them.”

WAUKEGAN – State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) released the following statement in response to the leaked Supreme Court ruling that would overturn Roe v. Wade and threaten access to reproductive health care in the United States:

“Although Illinois has taken proactive steps to protect women’s reproductive rights, millions of women could be in danger should Roe v. Wade be overturned, and this regressive move would set our country back by more than five decades.

SPRINGFIELD –Last night, a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, the case legalizing abortion nationwide, was leaked. State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) released the following statement condemning this decision:

“In this day and age, it is unconscionable that women would be denied reproductive rights," said State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview). "I will fight to ensure women do not go backwards and our fundamental rights are protected."

###

CHICAGO – State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) released the following statement in response to the leaked Supreme Court ruling that would overturn Roe v. Wade:

“The Supreme Court’s draft opinion to strip women of their right to choose is appalling. The ability to make decisions on your own body is the most basic and fundamental of rights, and we must do all we can to protect those rights for all women.

“All reproductive care, including abortion, is and will remain legal in Illinois thanks to the Reproductive Health Act. I was proud to stand with the women in our General Assembly in passing that critical piece of legislation and will continue to stand with them as we fight this disastrous decision.