Board of Commissioners of Cook County - File #: 21-5431

• File #: 21-5431
• Version: 2
• Name: A RESOLUTION CONDEMNING TEXAS SENATE BILL 8 AND CALLING ON COOK COUNTY TO USE EVERY TOOL TO SUPPORT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
• Type: Resolution
• Status: Approved
• File created: 9/22/2021
• In control: Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee
• On agenda: 9/23/2021
• Final action: 10/7/2021
• Title: 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 ...
• Sponsors: KEVIN B. MORRISON, ALMA E. ANAYA, BRANDON JOHNSON, LUIS ARROYO JR, SCOTT R. BRITTON, JOHN P. DALEY, BRIDGET DEGNEN, STANLEY MOORE, LARRY SUFFREDIN, DENNIS DEER, BILL LOWRY, DEBORAH SIMS, DONNA MILLER

Date	Ver.	Action By	Motion	Result
10/7/2021	1	Board of Commissioners	approve as substituted	Pass
10/5/2021	1	Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee	accept as substituted	Pass
10/5/2021	2	Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee	recommend for approval as substituted	Pass
9/23/2021	1	Board of Commissioners	refer	Pass

title
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 "vig...