Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill into law on Wednesday that provides for broad access to abortion and gets rid of restrictions on the procedure in the third trimester, the Washington Examiner reported on Wednesday.
The law declares every person in Illinois has a "fundamental right" to abortion, pregnancy care, or sterilization, and that "a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights under the laws of this state."
Pritzker said at a bill signing event that “Today we proudly proclaim that in this state, we trust women," CNN reported. "And in Illinois we guarantee as a fundamental right a woman's right to choose."
The new law comes as several other Democratic states are codifying abortion protections in response to Republican states that are pushing forward bills restricting abortion access.
The GOP state legislatures are enacting such restrictions in an attempt to force a potential legal challenge of the landmark Supreme Court Roe V. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.
Anti-abortion groups have called the Illinois law the "most extreme" in the U.S., according to the Examiner.
Susan B. Anthony List National Campaign chairwoman Jill Stanek said that "Americans of every political persuasion are appalled by these attempts to expand abortion on demand through the moment of birth and even infanticide, and that in turn is driving pro-life momentum around the country. There is no pride or glory in being the most extreme pro-abortion state in the nation.”
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.