A Cook County Circuit Court judge has lifted a temporary restraining order on an Illinois law requiring guardians to be notified at least 48 hours before a girl 17 or younger has an abortion. But the law won’t go into effect immediately.
Legal debate over the parental notification law has been on going for years...
And today Judge Daniel Riley lifted the temporary restraining order that had barred its enforcement. But he also stated the law discriminates between pregnant minors who elect to have an abortion and minors who decide to take the pregnancy to term. Parents are not required to be notified if their teen daughter gives birth.
Colleen Connell is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.
CONNELL: We think that the judge’s decision leaves open the opportunity for a more carefully crafted challenge. And we intend to actively and quickly explore that.
The ACLU is considering legal options including filing an appeal. The judge approved a stay in the law’s enforcement to allow appeals to be worked through in the case.