Prairie State Wire

Regardless of allegedly violating campaign laws in favor of Democratic candidate Terra Costa Howard and sending out controversial pro-choice campaign mailers against Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard), the Personal Political Action Committee (PAC) is demanding Gov. Bruce Rauner sign a pledge to protect HB40.

Holding an impromptu press conference in July, Personal PAC Chief Executive Officer Terri Cosgrove said with Roe v. Wade on the verge of being overturned, it is as important as ever that Illinois has a governor who is committed to defending a woman’s right to choose.

“One day Rauner is in favor of HB40, and the next day he is telling anti-choice extremists he is opposed to HB40,” Cosgrove said.  

Gov. Bruce Rauner

Before the primary, mailers from Personal PAC were sent to homes in Breen’s 48th District on March 13, according to a Prairie State wire report.

In June, the Dupage Policy Journal reported, “The PAC has funded a website, a Facebook page and mailers slamming Costa’s opponent, state Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard), the Republican House floor leader, but the complaint shows that public disclosure of the funding as required by law has been sketchy and deceptive.”

Personal PAC continues to speak out, saying recently that before Roe v. Wade, Cook County had an entire septic abortion ward, where women were admitted with massive infections, hemorrhaging and botched abortions, according to Cosgrove.  

“The re-opening of septic abortion wards is Gov. Bruce Rauner’s promise to the women of Illinois,” Cosgrove said before turning the microphone over to Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Preckwinkle.

“Those of us who believe in a woman’s right to choose are living in perilous times,” Preckwinkle said.

She said she wanted to be clear on two important points—the Cook County Hospital system will stay committed to providing services to anyone who needs them, and they will support the pledge that rejects any legislation that repeals, modifies or diminishes HB40.

“It took a lot of hard work to make HB40 the law in Illinois,” Preckwinkle said. “We cannot afford to go backward.”

Assistant House Majority Leader Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), a chief sponsor of HB40, said President Donald Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is detrimental to HB40.

“Now more than ever with the Kavanaugh decision, every candidate, especially the highest office in the state, should be signing that pledge affirmatively,” Feigenholtz said.

Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) and Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) agreed.

“It’s 2018, and I am terrified because, for the first time in my life, it’s a matter of when, and not if, Roe v. Wade will be eroded at best and overturned at worst,” Williams said.

Since Trump was elected, rapid restrictions on abortions have swept through the country, according to Steans.

“We need a governor to sign and make sure all women in Illinois know that they are going to continue to have access to full health care coverage,” Steans said. “I urge the governor to sign the pledge that he will keep HB40 as the law of the land in Illinois.”