Abortion

Illinois Parental Notification Law Heading Back To Court

The law, which has been blocked for over 15 years, will now be heard by the state Supreme Court.

Illinois Supreme Court. [img src]

Despite being approved over 15 years ago, the Illinois law requiring a parent of a girl under the age of 18 to be notified prior to her receiving an abortion has never been enforced.  But that could be changing now that the state Supreme Court is getting involved.

Via the Chicago Tribune:

The Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to consider a dispute over whether the state must begin enforcing a law requiring parents to be notified before their children can obtain an abortion.

The law dates back to 1995 but has never been enforced because of court actions.

Opponents claim it violates the privacy, equal protection and gender-equality clauses of the Illinois constitution.

Illinois is one of five states that has parental notification laws that are currently blocked by the courts.