Pritzker to call special session of Illinois legislature after Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov. JB Pritzker plans to call a special session of the Illinois General Assembly in the coming weeks to further protect abortion rights in Illinois, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that established a federal right to an abortion.

Pritzker last year signed legislation establishing abortion as a "fundamental right" for women in Illinois, to protect abortion access if Roe v. Wade were struck down.

"In Illinois, we trust women. Despite the action of the Supreme Court today overturning Roe v. Wade, the right to safe, accessible reproductive health care is in full force in Illinois – and will remain so," Pritzker said in a statement Friday morning. "In Illinois, we've planned for this terrible day, an enormous step backward and a shattering loss of rights. We passed the Reproductive Health Act, enshrining choice as the law of the land in Illinois. We removed the trigger law that would have prohibited abortion in Illinois with the overturning of Roe v Wade. We expanded health care so that finances are not a barrier to receiving reproductive care."

Pritzker said he is working with Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon to call the state legislature into special session in the coming weeks to take "swift action to further enshrine our commitment to reproductive health care rights and protections."