(20 ILCS 4111/5)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2024)

Sec. 5. Findings and declaration of policy. The General Assembly finds, determines, and declares the following:

(1) In 2019, the State of Illinois enacted the Reproductive Health Act to establish and affirm the fundamental right of all individuals in our State to make their own decisions about their reproductive health care without government interference.

(2) Illinois' support of reproductive health care stood in stark contrast to actions in other states aimed at limiting, and even banning, access to reproductive health care, including abortion care. The Reproductive Health Act further established Illinois as a bulwark in the protection of access to reproductive health care in the Midwest. The pace of attacks on the fundamental right of individuals to make autonomous decisions about their lives has accelerated dangerously since 2019.

(3) So far in calendar year 2021, 47 states considered severe abortion restrictions, including 10 bans in direct conflict with the basic guarantees contained in Roe v. Wade and the protections codified under the Reproductive Health Act. Additionally, the Supreme Court of the United States is being asked to overturn the holding in Roe v. Wade in a case concerning an abortion ban in Mississippi, a development threatening to leave millions of Americans without access to abortion care.

(4) These attacks reached their zenith with the passage of an abortion ban in Texas that deputized individuals across the country to act as "bounty hunters" allowing for lawsuits against physicians providing abortion care to people who are pregnant and others helping those seeking that care.

(5) Illinois again is called to be an example for the nation in the protection of reproductive health care while also working to establish healthy family communications, protecting the health and safety of youth including those who are pregnant and parenting, and investing in individuals throughout their lives.

(6) It is in the public policy interest of the State to ensure that Illinois residents, and individuals coming to the State of Illinois to access reproductive health care, are safe and free from barriers to access, including, but not limited to, medically unnecessary waiting periods, bans on particular reproductive health procedures, and restrictions or legal threats when accessing reproductive health care. The State of Illinois recognizes it is not the role of government to deny access to reproductive health care for its residents and those traveling to the State to access healthcare, especially those who are traveling to the State of Illinois because of the implementation of severe abortion restrictions in their home states. It is also in the public policy interest of the State to protect and support providers of reproductive health care and ensure that there are no penalties targeting providers, and individuals who support or aide those seeking reproductive health care in Illinois. The State of Illinois also opposes criminal litigation directed at those who provide healthcare or support to individuals traveling from states with such laws.

(7) The Youth Health and Safety Act seeks to restate Illinois' commitment to full and equitable access to reproductive health care for all persons across the State, without barriers based on race or ethnicity, immigration status, age, geographic location, economic means, education level, or other categories of identity. The Act confirms that Illinois will not move backwards and will continue to assure that reproductive rights are protected and recognized.

(Source: P.A. 102-685, eff. 6-1-22.)