State-paid abortions bill signed by GOP governor

CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday signed legislation allowing state health insurance and Medicaid coverage for abortions, ending months of speculation after the Republican reversed his stance on the issue in the spring.

The General Assembly controlled by Democrats approved the measure in May but delayed sending it to Rauner until Monday, in part because he has changed his mind about support of the plan.

As a candidate in 2014, Rauner said he would support expanding coverage for abortions. But he said in April that he opposed the idea and said the state should focus on improving the economy.

Rauner’s final word came at a news conference Thursday before signing the bill privately. He said that while he had talked to advocates on both sides, he has always supported abortion rights and had to take action “consistent” with his views.

“The passions, the emotions, the sentiments on both sides of these issues are very powerful. I respect them very much,” Rauner said. “I believe that a woman living with limited financial means should not be put in a position where she has to choose something different than a woman of higher income would be able to choose.”

The law takes effect immediately.

Democrats had argued that all women should have the same access to abortion services. Republicans argued that taxpayers should not be forced to fund a procedure that many people find morally wrong, particularly during a state budget crisis.

The Department of Healthcare and Family Services estimates that the annual taxpayer cost of abortions under the measure will be $1.8 million.

The decision has been politically difficult for Rauner, who’s considered one of the most vulnerable governors nationwide in his 2018 bid for a second term.

The former venture capitalist first won elected office in 2014, in part by getting support from independent voters in the suburbs, especially women, with his pledge to have “no social agenda.” He often campaigned with his wife, Diana Rauner, who calls herself a “lifelong Democrat.”

The measure also removes language in Illinois law that states a desire to criminalize abortion if a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing the procedure is overturned. Democrats initially sold the bill as a means of keeping abortion legal if Roe v. Wade were dumped.

President Donald Trump has promised to nominate Supreme Court justices bent on revisiting Roe.