Illinois Opportunity Project Condemns Governor Rauner’s Decision To Force Taxpayers To Fund Abortions At Any Time, For Any Reason
Demands all Illinois GOP Legislators Disavow Rauner and The Legislation
This afternoon, Governor Rauner signed HB 40. Through Illinois taxpayer funding, this bill will provide free abortions for state employees and those on Medicaid.
Under current law, Medicaid covers abortions in the cases of rape, incest, and when the health or life of the mother is deemed to be at risk. House Bill 40 drastically expands Medicaid coverage for abortions, providing free abortions at any point in the pregnancy and for any reason. Pat Hughes, Co-Founder of the Illinois Opportunity Project, released the following statement in response:

“Last April, Governor Rauner publicly promised that he would veto HB40 should it reach his desk. Today, without apology or adequate explanation, he broke that promise. The legislation forces all Illinois taxpayers to pay for abortions through all nine months of pregnancy- even when the unborn child can feel pain and survive outside the womb. A majority of Illinoisans – pro-life and pro-choice – object to this extreme measure.”
“Illinois is 48th in the nation in providing for our developmentally disabled – people who through no fault of their own need state aide. Families and businesses in this state want resources applied efficiently to the numerous problems we already have. Yet, Governor Rauner joined the most liberal Democrats in Springfield to dedicate our limited Medicaid dollars to highly-objectionable, elective medical procedures.”
“We elected the Bruce Rauner we were sold in twenty-fourteen: a political outsider and Conservative Reformer with “no social agenda.”  Today, Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills is higher, as is our unemployment rate and unfunded pension liability. A budget impasse that put social service providers into crisis was ended by a massive tax hike with no structural reforms. Does that sound like a government under the leadership of a conservative reformer? No. It sounds more like the record of a politically-connected Illinois Democrat.”
“Now, Governor Rauner has mandated taxpayer funding of abortions at any time, for any reason. He additionally signed a law to make Illinois a Sanctuary State. Do those initiatives sound like the priorities of a Governor with “no social agenda?” Of course not. They sound like the priorities of a Social Justice Warrior.”
“No Conservative Reform Governor has ever done so much for the liberal agenda. The Illinois GOP needs to condemn the man and the bill with the tenacity and urgency with which they would oppose any other pro-choice, big government Democrat. We have been complicit for far too long.”