South Central Reporter

State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) is imploring Democrats in Springfield to keep the Parental Notice of Abortion Act (PNA) of 1995.

“I urge my Democrat colleagues not to take away a child's parental foundation at a time when a child may need their parent the most,” Bryant said at an Oct. 19 press conference on the PNA and the legislation that would appeal it. Parental notification is in place because adolescents are not mentally or emotionally prepared to fully grasp or understand the consequences of these actions.”

Bryant insists no good can come from repealing a law that now requires that a parent or guardian be notified at least 48 hours in advance when a minor seeks an abortion.

“This will not fix child abuse,” she said. “It will only leave young girls with mental health issues that could last a lifetime if they don't receive the proper support and care that they need. We must take a stand to protect parental rights and safeguard the system in place already that allows a parent to be there for their child at an unimaginably vulnerable time.”

As a mother and grandmother, Bryant said she feels compelled to speak out.  

“I will not sit silently by as Democratic lawmakers seek to tie the hands of parents, allowing children to undergo such an important decision without the parents' knowledge,” she said.

Bryant is joined in protest by several other Republican lawmakers, with Senate Republican deputy leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris) countering the argument that legislation like this is needed in light of Texas' more stringent abortion restrictions.

“They know that what is happening in Texas has no effect on what's happening in our state,” she told ABC 7. “The reality is that Illinois has the most progressive abortion laws on record in the nation. Now whether you agree with that or not, that's not changing because of what happens in a different state or federally. If Roe v Wade would be overturned tomorrow, abortion would still be legal in our state. This is an issue about parental rights, whether we believe it is OK to keep parents in the dark about serious health care decisions made by a minor.”