CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court decision to overturn the right to an abortion protected under Roe v. Wade. 

“I am furious at this colossal injustice that has just been handed down by the nation’s top court. A generation of reproductive rights are being taken away by an oppressive patriarchal, fundamentalist court that is grievously out of touch with the country. The reproductive rights and health care of millions of people – women of all backgrounds, transgender people, and nonbinary people – are under attack. Today is a shameful day in our country’s history.

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. 

OAK PARK – Senate President Don Harmon issued the following statement today after the Supreme Court issued an opinion overturning Roe v. Wade:

“Today’s ruling is a distressing departure from five decades of precedent and a devastating blow to women around the country.

This decision turns the clock back to a time when women did not have autonomy over their own bodies and died trying to access health care.

Chicago – State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) issued the following statement … in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision:

"This decision is a threat to broader fights for justice everywhere. This is a gateway for the far right to start attacking so many important rights we have today. The Supreme Court’s extremist decision to strip people of their abortion rights is appalling and will not reduce abortions, but only further penalize working class communities especially working class Black and Brown communities.”

ELGIN – Following news of the Supreme Court overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) released the following statement:

“The overturning of Roe v. Wade is a devastating loss for women and reproductive rights. When it comes to health care, everyone should have the right to make decisions on their own body.

“This decision will especially impact communities of color and low-income people who might not have the means to travel to access reproductive care or be able to afford to raise a child in these times of ever-rising prices.

CHICAGO – Following the news of the overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, State Senator Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) released the following statement:

“While we knew this day was coming, I don’t think anyone can be fully prepared for the devastating impact of this attack on women’s reproductive rights. I am appalled, but not shocked.

CHICAGO – State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) is disheartened and emboldened by the news of the overturning of landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, effectively stripping reproductive rights from millions of women and pregnant people across the nation. She released the following statement:

“No amount of time could fully prepare us for the devastation of this decision from the highest court in our nation. No words can express the amount of suffering and grief this decision will cause. Abortion saves lives—and yet the court’s decision refuses to recognize the right to bodily autonomy we should all fundamentally have.

“Days like these shake the foundations of our nation to the core, and we must not shy away from saying so. If we are to keep our state and our country, we must hold fast amidst reactionary backlash to the decades of progress in reproductive rights. We must hold fast to the truth that women and pregnant people across this country have a right to their own body. They had that right yesterday and they have that right today. Illinois recognizes that. Other states may deny access to our rights, but we have enough wisdom to know they are inalienable. The Illinois Constitution that I swore an oath to support enshrines in its first Article that: “All men are by nature free and independent and have certain inherent and inalienable rights among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” I will continue to defend that.

CHICAGO – In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) released the following statement:

“This attack on Roe v. Wade is appalling. While we’ve expanded protections for reproductive health care in our state, an infinite number of communities across the country will be negatively affected by this decision.