Paul Mitchell Applauds Parental Notification Ruling

Today, the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling barring enforcement of 1995 Illinois law that (in the words of the Sun-Times) “says minors can’t get abortions without telling their parents or getting a court’s OK to bypass the requirement.”

Paul Mitchell, a Hainesville man seeking the Republican nomination for State Representative in the 62nd District in central Lake County, applauded the ruling.

“Let’s be clear,” Mitchell said. “This ruling is not about abortion. It’s about one of the most basic principles of healthcare: that parents are responsible for the care of their minor children, and that they have a right to be informed about medical procedures being performed on them. Finally, 14 years after its passage, this much-needed law can be enforced.”

Mitchell’s opponent, State Representative Sandy Cole, voted in committee for a bill that would have had, among other provisions, the effect of repealing this law. “That’s an extreme position on abortion that the people of Illinois rejected long ago, and that the courts have now rejected as well,” Mitchell said.