Springfield, IL-(Effingham Radio)-The Illinois Freedom Caucus held a press conference today at a location across from of a proposed site of a new abortion clinic in Danville and called out the far left’s pro-abortion advocacy.
“The people of Danville don’t want an abortion clinic in their community,” said State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich). “My office has received numerous phone calls from people upset by what is happening in their own backyard. There seems to be an effort to bring abortion clinics to parts of Illinois that are overwhelmingly pro-life just to make a point. The far-left has moved far beyond merely making abortion legal. They have become abortion advocates.”
State Rep. Brad Halbrook said what is needed in downstate Illinois is a solution to the doctor shortage in rural areas.
“What we need in downstate Illinois is more doctors – not abortion providers,” Halbrook said. “We have a physician shortage issue in rural Illinois and the far-left’s solution is akin to a mechanic changing the tires to fix a fuel pump. The physician shortage is real. People often have to drive long distances just to get routine tests and basic medical services. We should be addressing the physician shortages instead of opening more abortion clinics.”
The intent of the clinics being built in rural counties is not to address the health concerns of Illinois residents but to capture the growing number of out of state abortions being performed in Illinois. Nearly one-third of all abortions in 2022 involved women not from Illinois. Prior to the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, only about 6 percent of abortions at Illinois clinics involved women from out of state. Women from 31 different states had abortions in Illinois last year.
“The proliferation of abortion clinics in Illinois is not about improving healthcare for Illinois citizens – it is about trying to bring more women from other states to Illinois to have abortions,” said State Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City). “The explosion of abortion clinics in Illinois is about making money. Abortion is the most protected industry in Illinois. The State of Illinois is actively working to shut down power plants which is increasing energy costs and leaving working people without a job. Working people don’t get these protections. Abortion providers in Illinois get proclamations from the Governor recognizing them. They get immunity from lawsuits. These clinics don’t have to live up to the same standards as regular ambulatory surgical centers. If you are in the abortion business, Illinois will roll out the red carpet. Illinois is a disgrace and a national embarrassment.”
State Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) said the celebration of abortion in Illinois such as Gov. JB Pritzker’s absurd Abortion Provider Appreciation Day proclamation is grotesque political pandering.
“No longer is it enough to merely keep abortion providers open for business in Illinois, but apparently all must bend the knee in humble submission to the sacred sacrament of abortion,” Miller said. “JB Pritzker’s proclamation trivializes the very serious challenges for women facing an unwanted pregnancy. Where is the compassion for these women who believe the only choice they have is to sentence their unborn child to death? If pro-abortion advocates were really ‘pro-choice,’ they would recognize the seriousness of the choice rather than minimizing it. The cartoonish efforts to use abortion and women as props for Pritzker’s laughable presidential aspirations is insulting and disrespectful to women facing the emotional stress of unwanted pregnancies.”
The Illinois Freedom Caucus is comprised of State Representatives Chris Miller (R-Oakland), chairman; Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), vice-chairman; Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich); Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville); Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur); Jed Davis (R-Newark) and David Friess (R-Red Bud). The members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus are members of the Illinois General Assembly who are advocating for limited government, lower taxes and accountability and integrity in government.
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