ACLJ Submits FOIA Demand to Expose Truth Behind Illinois Decision to Keep Abortion Clinics Open During Pandemic

While other states are ceasing elective medical procedures – including elective abortions – during the Coronavirus pandemic, Illinois is keeping its abortion clinics open for business.

That’s right. While many states, including Illinois, are taking the necessary step of halting all elective procedures in order to not only preserve medical equipment but to aid in flattening the curve through social distancing, some states, such as Illinois, are taking the extraordinary step of specifically exempting elective abortions from these regulations, further endangering the public.

The ACLJ just took action, submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the state of Illinois to find out exactly who is behind the irresponsible decision to put all 12 million-plus residents of Illinois at risk by keeping Planned Parenthood and the abortion machine running, while halting all other elective procedures.

As we stated in our FOIA:

The Request is made by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) on behalf of itself and more than 137,000 of its members (nearly 4,000 of whom reside in Illinois) who have signed a petition to ban elective abortions during the pandemic and who object to, and demand accountability for, the inclusion of reproductive healthcare providers in Executive Order 2020-10, which will allow abortion during a pandemic, while all other elective procedures are halted.

To summarize, this Request seeks records regarding communications concerning Executive Order 2020-10 between Governor JB Pritzer and/or Lt. Governor Julianna Stratton (or their staff), and the Illinois state legislature, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois  Attorney General, Illinois NARAL, Personal PAC, and Planned Parenthood Illinois Action.  This Request also seeks any other records of which the Executive Offices or the Department of Public Health are custodians which concern the inclusion of reproductive healthcare providers in Executive Order 2020-10.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has made his devotion to abortion very clear since his election in 2018. Last year he signed an abortion bill that, among other things, removed waiting periods for abortions as well as other restrictions on abortion. It also forced insurance companies to pay for abortions.

As reported at the time:

The bill establishes the “fundamental right” of a woman to have an abortion and states that a “fertilized egg, embryo or fetus does not have independent rights.” The law also requires that the cost of an abortion be treated like any other medical procedure for insurance purposes.

His pro-abortion agenda is crystal clear. We are going to find out why and who is influencing this decision to not protect the citizens of Illinois and to shield abortion clinics from pandemic safety regulations that apply to other medical procedures.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois has reportedly closed a number of clinics temporarily in an effort to consolidate its resources during the pandemic, but it has left plenty of clinics open all over Illinois, including two in Chicago, ready and willing to abort innocent babies.

“Planned Parenthood of Illinois is taking all necessary precautions to keep our staff and patients healthy and well. This temporary consolidation of services is just one part of that,” said Dr. Amy Whitaker, Chief Medical Officer at PPIL. “Patients will still need family planning services and abortion care during this time, and we are committed to providing it.”

Note, Planned Parenthood is conserving ITS resources – not to help fight the pandemic but for its abortion business.

Despite what it says, by performing abortions, Planned Parenthood is clearly not taking precautions to protect at least half of the patients that walk into their clinics. Not to mention the innocent patients all over the state and country that it is putting at risk because hospitals don’t have enough supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to treat them properly. It’s selfish and disgusting.

If a state finds it necessary to halt elective procedures in order to fight the Coronavirus pandemic, then ALL abortion clinics need to be shut down as well.

It is imperative that America as a whole takes every precaution to conserve desperately needed medical equipment and keep COVID-19 from overwhelming our hospitals and ravaging our country. Rogue states making reckless decisions like this only put more lives in danger. We will find out who is really behind it.

Add your name to our petition. Shut down the elective abortions during this pandemic.