'We are greatly concerned that the court did not fully protect conscience rights, leaving our clients forced to compromise their deepest beliefs,' stated the Thomas More Society's Thomas Olp.
(LifeSiteNews) — Pro-lifers are doubling down on their opposition to an anti-religious liberty law after a judge ruled last week that certain parts of it are not unconstitutional.
On Friday, April 5, US District Court Judge Iain D. Johnston determined that aspects of the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act (HCRCA) should not be thrown out.
Johnston said the state cannot force pro-life ministries to inform women about abortion but ruled that it can mandate doctors to refer them to abortion providers. The news sparked mixed reactions from conservatives.
“We welcome the court's ruling striking down Illinois' attempts to force our pro-life physicians and pregnancy centers to parrot pro-abortion talking points,” said Thomas Olp, Executive Vice President of the Thomas More Society.
At the same time, Olp noted, “we are greatly concerned that the court did not fully protect conscience rights, leaving our clients forced to compromise their deepest beliefs."
Olp's group said it will appeal the decision.
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In 2016, Illinois lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1564 amending the HCRCA. The change resulted in healthcare providers being forced to discuss the “benefits” of abortion and to refer them to abortion providers if they are asked for such information. Then-Governor Bruce Rauner, a Republican, approved the measure.
The Thomas More Society sued over the law and won an injunction, but in 2023 Democratic Governor JB Pritzker signed a bill in 2023 threatening pregnancy resource centers with fines if they engaged in “deceptive” practices.
Judy Cocks is the Executive Director of 1st Way Life Center, a plaintiff in the Johnston case. She expressed dismay over the HCRCA and vowed to continue her fight in the courts.
“I have yet to see what the so-called ‘benefits of abortion’ are — what I see regularly at our centers, instead, is the pain and regret that come with abortion,” she said in a press release. “We cannot, in good conscience, recommend or refer for abortion. That’s not who we are.”
READ: Illinois Pro-Life March attracts thousands of joyful people in downtown Springfield
