After Supreme Court Decision, Roe V. Wade Remains Law In IL: Pritzker

ILLINOIS — On a day he and other lawmakers said they knew was coming, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday said that Roe v. Wade will remain the law in Illinois despite the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn the landmark 1973 decision that had made abortion legal for women across the country.

Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other lawmakers vowed to make Illinois a sanctuary for women who may live in states where abortion is no longer legal after Friday’s overturning of the court decision by a 6-3 vote of Supreme Court justices.

In addition, Pritzker — who has vowed to keep abortion legal in Illinois as long as there is a pro-choice legislature and governor in place — called for the General Assembly to convene in a special session in the coming weeks to “take swift action to further enshrine our commitment to reproductive health care rights and protections.”

RELATED: Abortion Rights Left To States To Decide After Roe V. Wade Overturned

In an email to senators sent after Friday’s decision, lawmakers were asked to keep July 6 and 7 open for possible dates for the special session called for by the governor.

Pritzker and other Democrats have remained adamant about protecting women’s reproductive rights since a leaked draft of Friday’s Supreme Court decision emerged in May. On Friday, he was swift to criticize the Supreme Court, saying that politics had taken over the nation’s top court.

The governor said that after Friday's decision, the nation is now “heading down a dangerous spiral that will erode our democracy." Protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court on Friday, speaking out against the decision. Similar gatherings have taken place around Chicago in recent weeks. On Friday, Lightfoot predicted more action would be taking place as women voice their displeasure at what Illinois lawmakers characterized as a possible first step toward more rights being taken away.

RELATED: Protesters Gather After Supreme Court Strikes Down Roe V. Wade

“The extremists on the Supreme Court have made an abhorrent decision, one rooted in partisan games, leaving an indelible stain on our nation,” Pritzker said in a news conference Friday. “Overturning Roe v. Wade directly contradicts the nation’s history of expanding rights in the United States.

“It’s an attack on freedom and liberty that our Constitution is supposed to guarantee.”

In a news conference Friday morning, Lightfoot said she feared that taking away a woman’s right to an abortion could just be the beginning of the Supreme Court continuing to act in a partisan way.

But as Pritzker did in welcoming out-of-state women to Illinois to have abortions performed, Lightfoot said Chicago would also remain a beacon of light. She vowed “not to go backward” in light of Friday’s court ruling, which Lightfoot characterized as a “momentary setback.”

“We’re going to fight with all our heart to make sure that the American promise for equal justice under law is real, that it is living and breathing,” Lightfoot said. “While this decision is angering and frustrating, it’s a momentary setback.”

She added: “If the Supreme Court wants to continue to be a politicized organization which delegitimizes itself and the institution which de-robs it of any legitimacy or credibility, so be it …. what I know is that Chicago remains a justice-for-all city.”

But Cardinal Blaise Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, welcomed the court's decision and said it opens up a national conversation on protecting human life in the womb and promoting human dignity at all stages of life.

He continued: "This moment should serve as a turning point in our dialogue about the place an unborn child holds in our nation, about our responsibility to listen to women and support them through pregnancies and after the birth of their children, and about the need to refocus our national priorities to support families, particularly those in need."

Pritzker said that while Friday’s decision was seen by Right to Life advocates as a life-saving measure for death, the governor said the opposite could be true for women who live in states where abortion will no longer be legal.

Speaking to “right-wing” lawmakers cheering Friday’s decision, Pritzker urged them to take their “iron boot off of women’s necks” and implored them to “hop off your high horse and know what you are calling a celebration of life, will actually lead to death.”

The governor said illegal abortions in some states will also be dangerous, secretive and deadly. Pritzker said that women may be put at risk to have illegal abortions performed by “unqualified back-alley butchers.”

“For all of the women whose fundamental rights have been taken away today, we will stand with you,” Pritzker said. “We will raise our voices, we will open our arms to help you and we will protect your rights.”

Other lawmakers agreed that Illinois needs to be a place where women’s reproductive rights are protected. State. Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who sponsored the 2019 Reproductive Rights Bill, reminded women in Illinois that, regardless of Friday's Supreme Court ruling, abortion remains legal in Illinois.

She added: "If you have an appointment, keep it. If you were thinking about making an appointment, make it. We are protecting choice in Illinois."

Others legislators made sure that the welcome extended to women outside of Illinois, where women may not have the right to an abortion.

"I want to say to anyone who lives in a state outside of Illinois: we welcome you here,” state Sen. Melinda Bush said. “If you are looking to have an abortion, a legal abortion where you are safe and taken care of, we welcome you to the state of Illinois, where we believe we have a right to make decisions about our own bodies."