Lightfoot signs order protecting those who travel to Chicago for abortions from states where it's illegal
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Just over a month after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. wade, the City of Chicago is reinforcing its commitment to abortion rights.
On Thursday morning, Mayor Lori Lightfoot signed an executive order essentially saying the city will not help enforce anti-abortion laws in other state.
The order prohibits any city agency from taking part in legal proceedings initiated by another state that wants to impose civil or criminal action against any person or entity for providing legal reproductive healthcare in Illinois.
"I'm proud to sign an executive order that will prohibit city departments – and in particular the Chicago Police Department and the Department of Public Health – from participating in any investigations or proceedings where states are seeking to civilly or criminally penalize women or others who are seeking reproductive health care in Illinois or Chicago," she said.
Lightfoot has been public on her stance against anti-abortion laws. She was joined Thursday by leaders of Planned Parenthood of Illinois and the Chicago Department of Public Health.
The mayor said her executive order will further safeguard those who come to Chicago or Illinois for reproductive healthcare.
The mayor also backed a proposal from a group of progressive City Council members to codify the same rules into law.
"Our bodies and our ability to make decisions and exercise autonomy over them are the most basic expression of our humanity, and without that possibility, we are in fact stripped of our humanity," said Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33rd), who introduced that legislation in the City Council last week.
Rodriguez Sanchez, who has spoken out about having an abortion at age 19 while living in Puerto Rico, said when a draft version of the Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked weeks before that ruling became official, she felt "like cattle; like, as a human being, I was not being seen, and it didn't matter what happened with my life."
"I know that there's a lot of people across this country feeling like that right now. So I'm very appreciative for this effort to put protections in place on a temporary basis, so that we can create the strongest possible measures to create sanctuary in the City of Chicago, so that we can protect people from being criminalized for exercising body autonomy," she said.
Rodriguez Sanchez's ordinance to permanently provide those protections for people traveling to Illinois for abortions is awaiting a hearing by the City Council Health Committee, but the council is taking its annual August recess, and not expected to resume meetings until September.
The mayor said she intends to have the ordinance passed by the next full City Council meeting on Sept. 21.