Primary voter guide: Abortion rights
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Abortion is now front and center in Illinois, just a day before the primary.
Why it matters: Both sides of the aisle are using the issue to help define themselves.
State of play: Here's what the candidates are saying about abortion.
GOVERNOR (GOP)
Richard Irvin: "As a pro-life Republican, I will continue to fight for every parent's right to know if a minor child is having an abortion — a right J.B. Pritzker has outrageously taken away. With Democratic majorities in the Illinois General Assembly, this Supreme Court ruling will have no effect on the law in our state."
Darren Bailey: "The Supreme Court decision is a historic and welcomed moment. As I have consistently stated for several months, as governor, I will work to remove taxpayer-funded abortion and restore parental notification in Illinois. I will also work with the legislature, civic groups, and nonprofits to support women during and after pregnancy, to make adoption easier, and abortion unnecessary."
Jesse Sullivan (via Facebook video): "Now this battle for life on the front lines moves right here to Illinois. We need a governor that will stand proudly for life. We have a governor that not only taxes us to death, but taxes us to murder unborn children. We need a governor who is going to show up for life."
SECRETARY OF STATE (DEM)
Anna Valencia: "At this frightening and dangerous time, we need elected leaders in Illinois and at all levels of government who have always protected and advanced reproductive freedom. I am honored to be the only candidate in this campaign who has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood. We cannot lose hope and can’t stop fighting because our daughters and future generations depend on us now more than ever."
Alexi Giannoulias: "Women deserve the fundamental human right to control their own bodies, and not be dictated by a right-wing agenda. Women have maintained this right for nearly 50 years before this Court decided to interpret the Constitution through a MAGA lens of extremism.
"Abortion, thankfully, will continue to remain legal here in Illinois, but my thoughts are with the women across America who are immediately impacted by this decision; however, lives are at risk, and we must take action to fix this."
U.S. HOUSE: 6TH DISTRICT (DEM)
Rep. Sean Casten (Twitter): "I am outraged by SCOTUS’ decision to overturn women’s most fundamental right to control their own bodies, health & futures. Know this, I will NEVER stop fighting to defend every woman’s right to make health care decisions against radical, anti-choice politicians."
Rep. Marie Newman: "For too long, white men over 50 have been making decisions about our bodies. That’s why I stood up in 2017 to run for office, and I defeated one of the last anti-choice Democrats in Congress. We need more progressive women in the halls of power with lived experience — leaders who truly understand what it means to be underrepresented."
U.S. HOUSE: 15TH DISTRICT (GOP)
Rep. Rodney Davis: "This is a historic and incredible day for Life and the unborn in America, a day that all of us in the pro-life movement have been praying for and working towards. The Supreme Court was absolutely right to overturn previous, wrongly decided abortion decisions. Nothing in the Constitution confers the right to an abortion. As a pro-life lawmaker with a 100 percent pro-life voting record, I have advocated for years that the Court overturn Roe."
Rep. Mary Miller: "A joyous victory for Life! The end of Roe is the beginning of a new chapter, where we embrace a culture of life with a reverence for all of God’s children. I applaud President Trump, who delivered on his promise of a Court that would honor the Constitution and our sacred right to life. Please join me in praying for all the unborn victims of Roe v. Wade and for the women who have been deceived by the cruel abortion industry."