Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signs another pro-abortion bill into law

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed a bill into law that will keep abortion off of a woman's medical record if she chooses.

Key Takeaways:

• House Bill 5295, known as the Reproductive Health Privacy Act, requires health information exchanges and electronic health vendors to have the technological capability to keep a woman's abortion off of her electronic medical record.

• Pritzker has signed the bill into law, and it will take effect on July 1, 2027.

• Passed in the name of "privacy," the bill could potentially endanger women who are experiencing abortion complications.

The Details:

In a press release, Pritzker announced that he signed House Bill 5295 into law. It will take effect July 1, 2027, and according to the press release, will:

Prohibit entities that maintain or facilitate the transfer of health information, including health information exchanges and electronic health vendors, from sharing sensitive medical information across state lines.

Require these entities to develop and enable the following features to protect patient privacy.

Separate sensitive medical information from the rest of the patient’s record.

Limit user access to sensitive medical information.

Automatically disable access of sensitive medical information to people and entities outside of the state.

The bill was specifically designed to keep abortion-related medical records a secret from pro-life states, with the idea of preventing prosecutors in those states from using records to pursue criminal cases related to abortion.

"Since Roe was overturned, we’ve seen women’s lives endangered by draconian measures limiting reproductive freedom across the country," Pritzker said. “The State of Illinois will always stand up for women’s reproductive freedom while aggressively rejecting anti-woman, anti-choice policies. I'm proud to sign the Reproductive Health Records Privacy Act — which represents another step forward in protecting reproductive freedom."

Why It Matters:

Illinois has made itself an abortion destination, and as such, this legislation could potentially put women's lives at risk. If a woman undergoes an abortion in Illinois and then experiences complications after returning to her home state, medical professionals may not be able to properly treat her if they are not aware of her abortion, which may not appear in her medical records.

 Rep. Bill Hauter, a physician, noted this exact issue during a House debate before the bill passed.

“We rely, as medical professionals, on the medical record to be complete and accurate and private,” he told The Center Square. “To say that this information is unimportant… ignores real-world scenarios where it could be critical to patient care.”

Most Illinois abortion businesses have not registered as ambulatory surgical centers and are therefore not held to certain health and safety standards. Illinois Right to Life Action pointed out in a fact sheet about the Illinois Reproductive Health Act of 2019:

The new law specifically allows any abortion facility to voluntarily apply for a license as an Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center, and thereby subsequently subject themselves to all of the rules and regulations under the previous language of the law intended to protect patients.

The vast majority of Illinois abortion clinics have chosen to not be so licensed. A few abortion clinics - those that provide general, epidural or spinal anesthesia - are still required to be licensed by the State.

The Bottom Line:

Illinois has become a radically pro-abortion state, ensuring abortion remains easily accessible and widespread, while ignoring the risks it poses to women.