Senate Bill 1909 has been voted out of committee on a party line vote and is ready for a final vote on the House floor.

Here is the summary of what the bill does:

Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

Prohibits a limited services pregnancy center from engaging in unfair methods of competition or unfair or deceptive acts or practices:

• to interfere with or prevent an individual from seeking to gain entry or access to a provider of abortion or emergency contraception;
• to induce an individual to enter or access the limited services pregnancy center;
• in advertising, soliciting, or otherwise offering pregnancy-related services; or
• in conducting, providing, or performing pregnancy-related services.

Defines terms. Sets forth legislative intent. Effective immediately.

The mainly electronic witness slip filings were as follows:

• 3,870 in support
• 17,634 in opposition
• 66 had not position

WAND-TV reports the following was said by Ashley Hokenson, the Deputy Attorney General for Policy:

“”For years, our office has received concerning reports about crisis pregnancy centers engaging in fraudulent and misleading conduct. These CPCs hold themselves out as reproductive service providers but do not in fact offer comprehensive reproductive care.”

Former Republican State Reprsentative Peter Breen countered, the state said,

“These organizations are driven by their religious faith to advocate that pregnant women not choose abortion and also to provide support and assistance to those pregnant women. These aren’t business competitors in the market for abortions. They believe that the market for abortions shouldn’t exist at all.”

When Lisa Madigan was elected Illinois Attorney General in 2002, many thought she would attack crisis pregnancy centers.

She did not.

Instead, her successor Kwame Raoul is doing so.

My guess is that the offering of free ultrasound services by qualified technicians is cutting into Planned Parenthood’s business.

Local Democratic Party State Rep. Suzanne Ness is one of the bill’s co-sponsors.