A new bill proposed in Illinois would change the state’s definition of “abused child” to include children whose parents or guardians object to them having transgender surgeries, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and abortions.
The proposed Illinois bill, labeled House Bill 4876, was introduced earlier this month by Democratic State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray. If passed, the bill would give Illinois minors the same legal status as adults for consenting to gender transition and abortion medical services.
The bill states, “Consent to the performance of abortion services and gender-affirming services executed by a minor is not voidable because of such minority.”
The proposed legislation would also prevent medical providers from liability concerns for providing gender transition and abortion services to minors without parental consent. The bill explains that a healthcare professional who provides abortion or gender-affirming services “shall not incur civil or criminal liability for failure to obtain valid consent or professional discipline for failure to obtain valid consent if the health care professional relied in good faith on representations made by the minor.”
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If the bill is passed, it would grant the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services the authority to intervene and remove children from their parents or guardians for objecting to gender transition and abortion services by changing the definition of an “abused child.”
According to The Daily Wire, in addition to parents facing the possibility of having their children removed for refusing to allow their children to obtain gender and abortion services, parents could also face significant fines and jail time if the legislation is approved. The Daily Wire reported that Illinois law currently defines child abuse as a criminal offense that is punishable up to a 15-year prison sentence and $25,000 in fines.
The new bill proposed in Illinois has sparked backlash from lawmakers who believe that parents are more qualified to raise their children than the government.
“I’m disgusted that Illinois State Representative Anne Stava-Murray introduced a bill to classify a parent who denies their child a sex change, puberty blockers, or an abortion as a child abuser,” Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) tweeted Thursday. “Why are Democrats set on sexualizing kids, filling kids’ heads with unscientific non-sense that you can be any gender you want, and telling parents that the government knows better how to raise your child?”
