Abortion biz set to expand during state lockdown

Gov. Pritzker

Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says businesses in his state can't reopen despite declining coronavirus cases and modest numbers in rural areas.

He's even warned, "Local law enforcement and the Illinois state police can and will take action."

But of the businesses he's deemed to be "essential" is Planned Parenthood, which is opening a new clinic in Waukegan, about an hour north of Chicago.

The abortion giant already had more than a dozen other clinics in the state.

National Review noted Pritzker remains "adamant" that other businesses must be closed.

The report says he will not even "consider a phased reopening."

"Several mayors and sheriffs in suburban and rural parts of the state have suggested that will begin easing local regulations and cease enforcing the stay-at-home order, as the number of cases of COVID-19 in their counties are far less severe than in urban areas of Illinois," the report explained.

Pritzker's response? He vows to crack down on anyone who disobeys.

"Businesses and individual professionals that are licensed by state agencies can be held accountable for defying public health orders," he said. "Counties that try to reopen in defiance will not be reimbursed by FEMA for damage they cause themselves. Local law enforcement and the Illinois state police can and will take action."

The opening in Waukegan was suprising to some, the report said, since Illinois Right to Life documented Planned Parenthood "used shell-company names on its license applications so no one would be aware that an abortion clinic was opening in the area until it had been approved."

"Gov. Pritzker reminds us every day in his press conferences that we are being confined to our homes so as to protect human life, yet a brand-new abortion clinic has been allowed to open," said Mary Kate Knorr, executive director of Illinois Right to Life, in a statement. "Churches, schools, and businesses are closed but the nation’s largest killer of the unborn is expanding."

The Chicago Tribune reported the new business will offer "birth control, abortion services, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, hormone therapy, and cervical and breast cancer screenings."

In a news release, Planned Parenthood of Illinois spokeswoman Jennifer Welch said the COVID-19 pandemic has "created a growing urgency for increased access to essential health care in the region."