Prairie State Wire

In her recent testimony before the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee, Palos Community Hospital gynecologist Dr. Miriam Manglano-Tierney asked how decriminalizing abortion prosecution in Senate Bill 25 is not in itself a crime.

"Doesn't this state protect the unborn in matters of when a pregnant mother is assaulted and murdered, and the defendant can be charged with two crimes of manslaughter for the mother and the unborn child?" Tierney asked on May 30. "You cannot tell me that the unborn don't have rights. Because then why would those other laws exist?"

While the doctor's testimony was not able to prevent the controversial measure from passing the Democratic-led Senate with a 34-20 vote the following day, she did have the chance to inform the committee what she and countless others learned in medical school.

"The Clement Moore textbook that most schools in the country use states in the first sentence of the first paragraph of the first chapter that human life begins at fertilization – i.e. conception," Tierney said, adding that the bill called the Reproductive Health Act is both callous and disrespectful of human life. "What you call abortion is the killing of an unborn child. We are trained that we have two patients – the mother and the unborn child – to keep them healthy and alive."

Tierney echoed the same sentiments when she appeared on Relevant Radio's A Closer Look podcast with Bishop Thomas Paprocki the day of the hearing.

The Reproductive Health Act is now in the hands of Gov. J.P. Pritzker, who has said he would sign the bill.