Abortion in Illinois imperilled if GOP takes control of the state Supreme Court in November
Illinois lawmakers took steps to make abortion rights untouchable before Roe v.
CHICAGO — Illinois lawmakers took steps to make abortion rights untouchable before Roe v. Wade was overturned, but an upcoming judicial election could undermine those safeguards.
Two seats on the Illinois Supreme Court are up for grabs this November in the second and third judicial districts, both of which surround Chicago.
Right now, Democrats hold a slim 4-3 majority on the court. But if the Republican judicial candidates win in the two suburban districts that only lean Democratic, the GOP will take control of the court for the first time in decades.
And that could spell trouble for the legions of Midwesterners now flocking to Illinois for abortions from neighboring states where the procedure has been banned, advocates say.
Pritzker: Illinois preparing for ‘potentially 30,000’ out-of-state women seeking abortionsJune 24, 202206:54Judicial elections don’t often grab the same national attention as other political races in which voter turnout is often much higher, but observers say the Supreme Court races in Illinois could foreshadow similar battles in other states over reproductive rights with sweeping consequences.
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