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PROPOSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE TO FILE 21-5431
(Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations 10/5/2021)
A RESOLUTION CONDEMNING TEXAS SENATE BILL 8 AND CALLING ON COOK COUNTY TO USE EVERY TOOL TO SUPPORT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
WHEREAS, Cook County has been and should continue to be a beacon for those seeking safe, reliable, and comprehensive healthcare including reproductive healthcare; and
WHEREAS, every individual who is able to be pregnant has a right to make the personal decision about their reproductive health and family planning free from government interference; and
WHEREAS, the decision to terminate a pregnancy is deeply personal and is not made lightly; and
WHEREAS, accessing reproductive care is not a crime and should not be treated as such; and
WHEREAS, restricting access to reproductive healthcare hurts everyone but has a disproportionately negative impact on people of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ people due to factors such as income, where they live, or societal bias; and
WHEREAS, in 1973 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Roe v. Wade to protect legal rights to safe abortions; and
WHEREAS, the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health non-profit, found that women around the world access abortion services at a statistically same rate whether they are legal and safe or illegal and unregulated; and
WHEREAS, laws limiting access to reproductive healthcare just forces unsafe and dangerous conditions including potential severe health complications or death; and
WHEREAS, Texas legislators have passed Texas Senate Bill 8 and the Governor of Texas has signed into law legislation that essentially bans abortion after 6 weeks and creates a mechanism that can penalize any person with knowledge of or who offers support to someone seeking an abortion; and
WHEREAS, this draconian and appalling law not only puts the lives of people seeking reproductive healthcare at risk but creates a dangerous bounty system that essentially encourages “vigilante” justice; and
WHEREAS, such legislation villainizes healthcare providers who are simply seeking to provide basic health information as is a tenant of their Hippocratic Oath; and
WHEREAS, this law goes beyond the pale and is counter to settled law and to all public health recommendations; and
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Justice under the Biden Harris Administration has sued the State of Texas to prevent enforcing this law with Attorney General Merrick Garland stating, “The Act is clearly unconstitutional under longstanding Supreme Court precedent.”; and
WHEREAS, residents across the country support a constitutional right to an abortion with a recent poll from Monmouth University citing 62% of Americans in a representative poll supporting keeping Roe v. Wade in place; and
WHEREAS, Cook County and the State of Illinois have been on the forefront of fighting for reproductive rights for decades; and
WHEREAS, the State of Illinois continues to be a leader in expanding access to reproductive healthcare, most recently, passing a law that allows for Medicaid to cover abortion care in Illinois in 2017; and
WHEREAS, Illinois also passed a law in 2019 repealing the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975, which acted as Illinois’ “trigger” law, which would deem abortion illegal if Roe v. Wade was ever overturned and contained other significant restrictions including spousal consent and criminal penalties for physicians; and
WHEREAS, as the assault on reproductive rights continue across the country, Cook County and the State of Illinois’ leadership is more important than ever; and
WHEREAS, Cook County Health should continue to expand access to reproductive healthcare for anyone who needs it; and
WHEREAS, it is unacceptable that major corporations and other businesses located in Texas have failed to condemn this attack on reproductive rights; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The Cook County Board condemns the actions of the Texas Legislature in passing and the Governor of Texas signing Senate Bill 8; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The Cook County Board calls for all citizens, major corporations and other businesses located in Texas to condemn their state for passing Senate Bill 8.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The County Board request the Cook County State's Attorney's Office issue a legal opinion on all options Cook County can undertake to condemn Texas and limit any financial interaction with Texas for passing Senate Bill 8.
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