Dozens Rally in Defense of Parental Notification Law
About 50 people joined Rockford Family Initiative to rally in defense of Illinois’ Parental Notice of Abortion Act on Saturday, April 24, 2021. The rally took place at the intersection of Riverside Boulevard and Mulford Road, and participants prayed and held signs.
“It was great to be out here publicly defending Illinois’ Parental Notice law, which has reduced the number of abortions in our state,” said Savannah Dudzik, who drove from Woodstock to attend the rally. “We need to do more of these rallies to show our elected officials the importance of this issue and to encourage them to vote pro-life.”
In February 2021, a bill titled “Parental Notice Abortion-Repeal” (HB 1797) was introduced into the Illinois legislature, and is currently in committee. If passed, this legislation would repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995, which simply requires that when a minor girl seeks to have an abortion, a parent or guardian be notified 48 hours before the procedure.
Several local media outlets reported on the event, including the Rockford Register Star and WTVO.
"The Parental Notice of Abortion Act is one of the few remaining laws restricting abortion on the books in our state," said Kevin Rilott, President of Rockford Family Initiative.
“Furthermore, the Act provides essential safeguards against the evils of sexual abuse and human trafficking. If the law is repealed, when a young girl is raped or sexually abused, abortion could be used to cover-up the abuse and crime,” continued Rilott. “A teenage girl could be taken to any abortion mill in Illinois to have her child killed, and then the young girl taken home to possibly be abused again – with the abortion industry and abuser hiding all of this from the intimidated girl’s family.”
The rally at Riverside and Mulford began at 12:00PM and ended at 1:00PM. Attendees were asked to follow all state and local COVID-19 protocols.