City Room™ - Politics - Illinois Abortion Law In Effect

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City RoomTM Public Affairs coverage from our award-winning staff

Illinois Abortion Law In Effect - For Now
Produced by City Room on Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Peter Breen, executive director, The Thomas More Society. (WBEZ/Kate Gardiner)

An Illinois law requiring doctors to tell the parents of pregnant teenagers before performing an abortion came into effect today.

State regulators decided to start enforcing the law after a lengthy grace period.

Peter Breen represents the Thomas More Society which has backed the law for years.

BREEN: The medical board made the right decision. The doctors talked about the fact that they're not the baby sitters for the courts and that the doctors of the state of Illinois are ready to implement this regulation that is a common sense regulation. It's about parents and kids talking. No one should be against this.

The law has been contested for more than 14 years.

Breen says anti-abortion groups have been fighting with the American Civil Liberties Union since the law was written in the 1980s.

The ACLU says it will file a restraining order in circuit court today that could prevent the Illinois Medical Disciplinary Board from enforcing the law.

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