{"id":6165,"date":"2015-05-13T00:22:25","date_gmt":"2015-05-13T07:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.consciencelaws.org\/?p=6165"},"modified":"2018-03-07T10:58:05","modified_gmt":"2018-03-07T18:58:05","slug":"in-illinois-bishops-and-pro-life-groups-differ-on-aclu-conscience-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.consciencelaws.org\/?p=6165","title":{"rendered":"In Illinois, Bishops and Pro-Life Groups Differ on ACLU Conscience Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

National Catholic Register<\/em><\/p>\n

Peter Jesserer Smith<\/p>\n

Both parties don\u2019t like the pro-abortion-rights organization\u2019s bill, but the Illinois Catholic Conference is standing neutral while local pro-life groups campaign against it in the state legislature.<\/h5>\n

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. \u2014 A battle is under way over conscience rights and health care in the Illinois Legislature that has pro-life groups on one side, the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood on the other, and the Illinois Catholic Conference standing neutral on the sidelines.<\/p>\n

The ACLU of Illinois has proposed a change to Illinois\u2019 broad legal protections for the conscience rights of health-care workers with S.B. 1564<\/a>, which has already passed the state senate, but whose defeat the pro-life groups are urging in the state house.<\/p>\n

If health-care facilities or personnel decline to provide services for reasons of conscience \u2014\u00a0such as abortions or sterilizations \u2014\u00a0the bill\u2019s protocols would require them either to make referrals for such services or to provide information about other places where they are likely to be available. [Full Text<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p>\n