Video: Pregnant Illinois State Legislator Gives Powerful Speech Opposing Extreme Pro-Abortion Bill

State Rep. Avery Bourne (R) spoke on the Illinois House floor last week about an expansive abortion bill that, once signed into law, will be one of the most extreme in America.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

For about 45 minutes, Bourne questioned [bill sponsor and Democratic Rep. Kelly] Cassidy on everything from the meaning of a “fundamental right” to parental notification to what an “extraordinary medical measure” is.

Bourne offered examples, such as whether a baby at 36-weeks could be terminated if an ultrasound shows a “hole in their heart.” She also described whether a sick baby being flown to a neo-natal intensive care unit would be considered an “extraordinary medical measure.”

“This broadens their ability to make that decision,” Bourne said.

[…]

“We are talking about the most expansive bill we have seen in this state,” Bourne said in tears, surrounded by her female Republican colleagues. “We already know that we’ve got women coming to Illinois to have abortions because we are so expansive on this issue. That will continue. This bill is not about keeping abortion legal in Illinois. This is about a massive expansion that will impact viable babies. And that is wrong.”

Bourne, who is pregnant, also noted that the bill did not define the meaning of a woman’s “familial health” which she said is a broad term that could mean literally anything:

Bourne said that in failing to provide a specific definition of “familial health,” the bill’s authors open the door for that phrase to be interpreted in the broadest senses possible.

“This bill will mean that for a woman at my stage in pregnancy, where a baby responds to his dad’s voice when he reads him books at night, the woman could go to the facility—the baby’s perfectly healthy—but if that woman says, ‘based on my familial health, this is medically necessary,’ that is allowed,” Bourne said.

Because of the bill’s wide range of permission for abortion, many women are coming to Illinois specifically to receive abortions, Bourne added. Following the bill’s passage, she argued, Illinois would not only have the “most expansive” allowances for abortion in its state history but also “one of the most expansive across the country.”

Watch Bourne’s powerful speech below:

Since Bourne has given her speech, the Illinois State Senate passed the bill as well. It now goes to Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), who is expected to sign it.

————————
—Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter.–

The post Video: Pregnant Illinois State Legislator Gives Powerful Speech Opposing Extreme Pro-Abortion Bill appeared first on RedState.