Illinois lawmakers are aggressively advancing a slate of controversial bills aimed at expanding abortion access, altering medical record transparency and bypassing parental rights.  

The legislative session ends May 31, and pro-life advocates are urging constituents to make their voices heard before time runs out. 

Ralph Rivera, who lobbies for Pro-Family Alliance, detailed proposed legislation during a recent Illinois Right to Life press call. He warned supporters they must overwhelm legislators with opposition to stop the bills. 

“The worst thing in the world is for them to have more proponents than opponents,” Rivera said. “We always have to be the biggest number.” 

Stripping parental rights for minors 

The most heavily debated piece of legislation is House Bill 4966, called the SECURE Act. The bill centers on minors under the guardianship of the Department of Children and Family Services. 

The bill would pave the way for out-of-state foster placements and mandate “supportive care,” allegedly protecting kids from discrimination based on what they say their sex is and whether they want an abortion. 

A major point of contention is the bill’s mandate to limit the disclosure of a child’s sensitive identity information, such as sexual orientation, even to the federal government or other entities. Furthermore, the legislation would require the state to evaluate whether out-of-state placements might restrict a youth’s access to abortions allowed in Illinois. 

Rivera warned the legislation heavily shifts decision-making power to the minor. He said it effectively cuts biological parents out of the loop. 

“They leave it to that minor, and in fact, they have control of who gets this information, who it’s disclosed to,” Rivera explained. “Even DCFS can’t get certain information unless the minor says yes to it. So, this is a big problem, and it’s a parental rights problem.” 

The Thomas More Society says it is monitoring the situation and could trigger a federal lawsuit representing parents if the bill passes. The conservative public interest law firm recently won a U.S. Supreme Court victory defending parental rights in California. 

Scrubbing medical records and complications 

Two other bills target the tracking and transparency of medical data related to abortion and sex-change treatments. 

House Bill 4834 would amend the Illinois Controlled Substances Act to explicitly exempt the abortion-inducing drugs mifepristone and misoprostol from the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program. The bill would also exempt testosterone and estrogen, requiring the state to purge all existing records concerning related prescriptions by January 1, 2027. 

Rivera said lawmakers simply want to get rid of any adverse data they can find. The bill is on the Senate floor and could face a final passage vote this week. 

House Bill 5295 is the Reproductive Health Records Privacy Act. It would restrict electronic health networks from sharing protected health information with out-of-state entities unless they receive specific patient consent. The bill would define this protected information to include abortions, gender dysphoria diagnosis codes and medications such as the abortion pill, mifepristone. 

The proposed mandate has drawn unexpected pushback from the Illinois Hospital Association, which says the current technology can’t meet the demands of the bill. 

“I hope they sue,” Rivera added. “Because you can’t say people can sue you for something you can’t do, but it’s required by law to do.” 

Taxpayer funded abortions and fetal dignity 

House Bill 5408 would create the Abortion Access Fund Grant Program if passed. The bill’s intent is to use money from the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange to fund abortions for uninsured or underinsured patients. 

It would require health insurance issuers to report the balances of separate allocation accounts. The state would then order these insurers to remit 90% of excess funds collected from policyholders to the Department of Insurance to fill the new abortion fund. 

House Bill 4839 amends the Hospital Licensing Act regarding the disposition of a fetus. If a patient miscarries before 20 weeks and submits a written request to bury or cremate the remains, the state won’t require a fetal death certificate anymore. 

Rivera described the move as a part of an ongoing effort to take dignity and humanity away from the unborn child. The bill is currently stalled in the Senate.