An Illinois lawmaker has filed legislation that would prohibit the state from requiring employees to travel to any state that has enacted tight abortion restrictions.
State Rep. Daniel Didech, a Buffalo Grove Democrat, says his bill covers states with laws aimed to restrict abortions within eight weeks of pregnancy or laws that could trigger a criminal investigation if a woman miscarries, as some have interpreted a Georgia measure to do.
“I think we have a responsibility as state legislators to make sure we're not putting our employees into harm's way," he said. “I think this issue of reproductive rights is going to be something that we have to remain vigilant on, you know, for the foreseeable future.’’
Republican anti-abortion lawmaker Darren Bailey, of Xenia, says he believes there’s no reason to think a woman who had miscarried would be subject to a criminal investigation. He calls the measure a scam.
“This is a waste of words. This is a waste of paper. This is a dangerous statement that you would prohibit official state travel, and I'm personally very alarmed about the wording in this bill,’’ he said.
Didech’s bill would also prevent travel being required to states that have a law that effectively prohibits abortion in cases of rape or incest, or one that restricts abortion upon detection of a fetal heartbeat (around the 6th week of pregnancy).
A federal judge today temporarily blocked such a law from being implemented in Georgia. Missouri’s governor signed a law to restrict abortions after eight weeks, but that measure in August was blocked by a federal judge from going into effect.
Didech's bill can be found here.
