La Grange-Area Candidates Tout Abortion Rights

LA GRANGE, IL — Two La Grange-area Democratic state House candidates are touting their pro-choice views on abortion. One is criticizing the other's record.

With a Supreme Court decision that could impact the future of Roe v. Wade coming any day now, abortion has been a hot topic between the state representative candidates in the 21st House District.

Rep. Michael Zalewski of Riverside is facing a primary challenge from Abdelnasser Rashid of Justice, a former Cook County Board candidate. Zalewski is the incumbent for the 23th District, but was redrawn into the 21st District in last year’s redistricting process.

Rashid has attacked Zalewski for voting last October against repealing the Parental Notification of Abortion Act, which requires abortion providers to notify the parents of minors seeking abortions.

“I’m frankly horrified by Rep. Zalewski’s vote to take away that choice for young women,” Rashid said during a League of Women Voters of the La Grange Area forum on May 18.

At that time, Zalewski defended his vote.

“On this measure, I simply do not believe that relatively rare instances where parental notification is utilized justified taking a law off the books that could provide minors the help and counseling they need from their families in incredibly difficult circumstances,” Zalewski told the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark newspaper after casting his vote.

Zalewski, for his part, has defended his record on abortion, citing his support for the Reproductive Health Act and House Bill 40, which repealed a trigger provision in a 1975 law that would criminalize abortion if Roe v. Wade were ever overturned.

“I don’t care what (Abdelnasser) Rashid thinks about my record on choice, I care what my female colleagues think about my record on choice,” Zalewski said during the May 18 forum.

Early voting for the upcoming primary elections begins June 13. The elections are June 28.