Illinois has had the Parental Notification of Abortion Act on its books for almost 15 years now. The law requires that if a woman seeking an abortion is under the age 18, her parents must be notified before the procedure takes place. But the act hasn’t been in effect – until now. Earlier this year, a federal appeals court ruled the act constitutional, and it is scheduled to take effect in early November. Opponents like the ACLU say that mandate has more potential to harm than help, which is why they’ve been fighting the law from the start. After losing out at the federal level earlier this year, the ACLU filed a lawsuit in state court last week saying the law would cause “serious and irreversible harm to teens.” Colleen Connell is the executive director for the ACLU of Illinois, and she explains more.

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Cook County Courts and the New Abortion Parental Notification Law

Music Button: Saxon Shore, “The Revolution Will Be Streaming”, from the CD The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore, (Burnt Toast Vinyl)