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CHICAGO -
A Cook County judge has halted enforcement of Illinois' parent notification law just hours after a state agency had given the all-clear.
Judge Daniel A. Riley granted a temporary restraining order sought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois just hours after the Illinois Medical Disciplinary Board decided the state could begin enforcing the law, which requires parents or guardians to be notified when those 17 and younger seek abortions.
The law was to go into effect Tuesday, but late last week the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said it would delay enforcement until its disciplinary board could meet.
The agency had previously granted a 90-day grace period in August after a federal appeals court in Chicago lifted an injunction on the 1995 law. The state agency said it wanted to make sure a judicial waiver process is accessible to all young women and girls.
A provision allows patients to bypass parental notification by going before a judge. Lawyers for the ACLU have raised questions about whether courts in some jurisdictions, mainly rural areas, are prepared for the waiver process.
This morning, disciplinary board members considered a motion to extend the grace period by another 180 days or by another 90 days. Both motions failed.
"What happens if we are in the same place in 90 days?" said one board member, Dr. Maria Laporta. "I am not a babysitter of the courts."
Riley's ruling puts the law back on hold.
Judge Daniel A. Riley granted a temporary restraining order sought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois just hours after the Illinois Medical Disciplinary Board decided the state could begin enforcing the law, which requires parents or guardians to be notified when those 17 and younger seek abortions.
The law was to go into effect Tuesday, but late last week the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said it would delay enforcement until its disciplinary board could meet.
The agency had previously granted a 90-day grace period in August after a federal appeals court in Chicago lifted an injunction on the 1995 law. The state agency said it wanted to make sure a judicial waiver process is accessible to all young women and girls.
A provision allows patients to bypass parental notification by going before a judge. Lawyers for the ACLU have raised questions about whether courts in some jurisdictions, mainly rural areas, are prepared for the waiver process.
This morning, disciplinary board members considered a motion to extend the grace period by another 180 days or by another 90 days. Both motions failed.
"What happens if we are in the same place in 90 days?" said one board member, Dr. Maria Laporta. "I am not a babysitter of the courts."
Riley's ruling puts the law back on hold.
