Last week, GOP canidate for governor Darren Bailey received the endorsement of several radical anti-abortion organizations, further ratcheting up the Illinois GOP’s War on Women. Bailey vowed to roll back access to reproductive health just as states around the country are severely limiting — or in some cases, banning — abortion rights. Bailey has already said he opposes exceptions to abortion bans in the cases of rape or incest, and the other GOP candidates for governor share much of his radical ideology.
• Jesse Sullivan wants to enact a near-total ban on abortion and called legislation to protect reproductive rights “despicable.”
• Gary Rabine promises to emulate Donald Trump’s disastrous policies and pledged support for problematic crisis pregnancy centers
• Paul Schimpf voted against a bill that would protect access to abortion if Roe were overturned.
• Richard Irvin proudly proclaimed himself to be pro-life, calling Planned Parenthood “bad for Aurora” and comparing it to a “strip club or asbestos company.” His running mate Avery Bourne voted against the state’s Reproductive Health Act and does not believe in exceptions for abortion, even when a mother’s life is threatened.
The question is not whether these candidates want to roll back abortion access — clearly they do. The question is how far will they go in their quest to restrict women’s rights?
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