By A.J. Harris

 When Gov. J.B. Pritzker took office, he promised to turn Illinois into “the most progressive state in the nation” when it comes to reproductive health care. Now the state is poised to make good on that promise.

The passage of the Reproductive Health Act, which will repeal and replace current abortion law, seems to be a near certainty, with Democrats holding a supermajority in both chambers of the 101st General Assembly. 

The bill aims to provide more access to reproductive health care and abortion procedures than any other state in the country, and, if successful, will push Illinois into the national political spotlight. 

If it passes, court challenges are likely to follow. The Thomas More Society is a group that vigorously opposes much of the bill’s content, and the society’s Vice-President and Senior Counsel Peter Breen says his group is bracing for a change in the legislative landscape. 

“Right now, this bill is passing.” Breen said.