GRAYSLAKE – State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) released the following statement after the nation’s top court overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping millions of women across the nation from their right to choose.
“I am appalled, disgusted and disheartened. To be frank, I am speechless. While the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court comes at no surprise, I’m faced with a shock of emotion I never wanted to feel – and that’s because, despite it being 2022, there’s a war against women.
“Because of this decision, people will suffer and women will die. I am in complete dismay that this is where we are as a country. While I can go to sleep each night knowing women in Illinois are protected from the heinous ramifications of the ruling, it devastates me that women across the country don’t have the same freedom. To those women: Illinois is your safe haven. We welcome you with open arms.”
CHICAGO – State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, eliminating millions of women across the nation the right to choose:
“For decades, the United States has had the privilege of accessing reproductive health care and abortion care afforded by Roe v. Wade. Today, with one swift stroke of the Damocles sword, that privilege has ended for millions of women across the country. The GOP-backed Supreme Court sent reproductive health care and the right to abortion spiraling back 50 years.
“An extremist minority of anti-choice officials have pushed anti-abortion rhetoric with the end goal of overturning Roe v. Wade. This has been their strategy for 50 years; this has always been their endgame.
Read more: Senator Feigenholtz: Illinois is a safe haven for women
June 19, or Juneteenth, commemorates the ending of American slavery. This year began the first year National Freedom Day was celebrated as an official state holiday, with state offices closed in observance.
This past weekend, members of the Illinois Senate Black Caucus celebrated the holiday around the districts they represent.
Majority Caucus Chair Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) was honored with the Social Equity and Justice Lifetime Achievement Award at Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer’s Juneteenth Racial Equity event on Friday. There, she spoke of the importance of Juneteenth, the establishment of National Freedom Day, and her work on legislation to recognize the day in Illinois.
Read more: Senate Black Caucus members commemorate Juneteenth in events across the state
CHICAGO – Survivors of rape often don’t seek medical care out of fear a parent or abuser could find out. State Senator Julie Morrison championed a newly signed law to provide survivors with greater safety and peace of mind.
“The trauma associated with sexual assault is already profound – the last thing survivors need is the added stress of a lack of privacy and confidentiality,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “This law will allow people to feel more secure in seeking a rape exam.”
Morrison’s law allows sexual assault survivors to access to related health care services free-of-charge for 180 days after their initial medical forensic exam – allowing them to forgo billing their private insurance. Many survivors fear receiving medical help following a sexual assault because they’re worried their insurance policy holder – a parent or spouse, for example – will find out.
Read more: Morrison law provides protection, safety to sexual assault survivors
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