A pro-life group moved for an emergency injunction on Thursday regarding an Illinois law that requires taxpayers to fund abortions, but a state judge denied the request.
The Thomas More Society (TMS), filed for an emergency injunction on a recent lawsuit, Springfield Right to Life et al v. Felicia Norwood et al, wherein the Plaintiffs are seeking a restraining order and injunction against House Bill 40, which requires Illinois residents to pay for abortions regardless if their pro-life. Associate Judge Jennifer M. Ascher heard the Thursday case in Illinois’ Seventh Judicial Circuit Court and ruled not to allow for an emergency injunction.
“This emergency injunction would stop a New Year’s Day implementation of this law, under which Illinois taxpayers would be forced to pay for 20,000 to 30,000 or more abortions per year,” TMS special counsel, Peter Breen, said in a press release to TheDCNF. “Even apart from the sincere moral objections that many folks have to paying for abortions, there is no money in the Illinois state budget to pay for them,” Breen added.
House Bill 40 mandates Illinois residents pay for abortions for those on Medicaid and state employee health insurance. There is no limit on the number of abortions that Medicaid will cover or the number of dollars that can be spent on abortions under the bill. The Department of Healthcare and Family Services estimates the annual taxpayer cost of abortions under House Bill 40 is roughly $1.8 million. (RELATED: Pro-Life Group Sues Illinois Over Bill Requiring Public Funds For Abortions).
The emergency injunction and judge’s ruling come after the TMS filed a taxpayer lawsuit against Illinois officials in an attempt to counteract the recently passed House Bill 40. Taxpayer lawsuits are brought by private individuals in order to protect the public treasury. TMS, along with the Springfield Catholic Diocese, filed the suit with the Sangamon County Circuit Court on behalf of Illinois taxpayers.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling and will seek an immediate appeal,” Breen said in a press release after the judge’s decision. “The Illinois Constitution was clearly violated here,” he added.
The battle over House Bill 40 comes after Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, signed the measure into law, saying, “I believe that a woman living with limited financial means should not be put in the position where she has to choose something different than a woman of higher income would be able to choose,” according to the Hill.
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