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From the Southtown Star, July 16, 2009:

Southland sees both sides in abortion ruling
By Maura Possley, Staff Writer

A federal appeals court br eathed new life this week into a long-dormant Illinois law that requires teen girls to notify their parents before having abortions.

Attorneys on both sides of the emotionally charged issue said the law would take effect within weeks unless its critics ask for a stay and the appeals judges agree to put their order on hold pending a possible rehearing.

"If the girls are in crisis, they can't just hide this thing," said Rick Ligthart, president of Pregnancy Aid South Suburbs. "We think it's really good that the parents can now help with this."

The decision in the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995 will take effect Aug. 4. The appeals court described the measure as "a permissible attempt to help a young woman make an informed choice about whether to have an abortion."

It does not require teens to get their parents' consent, only to notify them beforehand. A provision of the law allows girls to bypass that by notifying a judge instead, a procedure that the American Civil Liberties Union argued would not be workable in practice.

Ligthart saw the ruling as a step toward overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

"The courts maybe realizing this decision was not made with really a deeper understanding of what Roe v. Wade was going to do to our culture and our society," Ligthart said. "It appears that this is finally a victory for truth, that truth is finally coming to the forefront in the court systems and truth that this abortion is not beneficial to society."

But naturally the politically charged decision was criticized by pro-choice advocates.
Planned Parenthood, which provides affordable reproductive health care services across the country, including the Southland, called the judgement a barrier for women in obtaining "critical health care services."

Its nearest clinic in Orland Park doesn't offer abortion services but instead refers women to clinics in Chicago and Aurora that do.

"Most teens seek their parents' advice and counsel when making decisions about their health care. But in some cases, safe and open communication is not possible," Steve Trombley, its president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "In those cases, research shows mandatory parental notice laws do not enhance parent-teen communication, but they may be harmful to teens' health and well-being."

Contributing: AP