Pro-abortion bishops in Illinois are forbidding parishes from hosting drives to sign a petition for a state ballot advisory question aimed at legally requiring parental consent for medical interventions such as abortions and “sex changes” for minors.
Along with prohibiting Catholic church-based drives for the petition, the Dioceses of Rockford and Joliet have instructed pastors not to send out mass emails to parishioners about the petition or the group promoting it, the Parents Matter Coalition (PMC). The petition seeks to place on the November 2024 ballot the following advisory question:
“Shall the written consent from a minor’s parent or guardian be required before any entity, person, clinic or school can provide a minor (under the age of 18 years) any non-emergency medical procedure, medication, pharmaceutical, or any gender modification procedure, gender identification counseling or gender therapy?”
Aside from gender “modification” interventions for minors, the desired parental notification law is aimed in particular at preventing abortions performed on minors without the consent of a parent or guardian, according to Vince Heaton, co-chair of PMC.
Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the bishops of Illinois make up the board of the CCI, which generally takes direction from Cardinal Cupich.