Eighteen Illinois women's health organizations have sued Gov. Bruce Rauner over a law requiring pregnancy centers to tell patients about the benefits of abortion despite conscience-based objections.
Thomas Olp is an attorney for the Thomas More Society, which filed the lawsuit Thursday in Sangamon County.
The measure requiring dispensing of abortion information changed a 1977 law allowing health care professionals to refuse to provide services they consider morally objectionable.
The law took effect Jan. 1. Olp says it violates the First Amendment's free-speech protection. He says there's no reason to require health centers to impart the information because information about abortion is readily available.
The lawsuit claims the law's only intent is to interfere with alerting women that abortion is not the only solution to a problem pregnancy.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Bruce Rauner declined comment.
