Chicago Law Firm Mauck & Baker Applauds Protection for Vulnerable Girls
Contact: Tom Ciesielka, TC Public Relations, 312-422-1333, tc@tcpr.net
CHICAGO, July 11, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today, the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously upheld the Parental Notification Act as constitutional, putting it into effect after almost two decades in limbo. Chicago law firm Mauck & Baker is celebrating the end of an eighteen year quagmire of legal challenges to the law. Despite this law's passage in 1995, the court has not allowed the law to be enforced because of repeated lawsuits by the American Civil Liberties Union. The Illinois Supreme Court has now invalidated the ACLU's claims that the law violated the state constitution. Mauck & Baker filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in the Hope Clinic for Women, Ltd., v. Flores case decided today.
The Court's opinion states: We conclude, therefore, that our Parental Notice Act furthers a "constitutionally permissible end" by encouraging an unmarried, pregnant minor to seek the help and advice of a parent or other adult family member in making the very important decision whether or not to bear a child.
The decision wording echoes that of the amicus brief filed by Mauck & Baker attorneys on behalf of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, the American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Catholic Medical Association.
The brief, authored by Richard C. Baker, Amy Parrish, and Noel Sterett, argued that Illinois' Parental Notice Act served the legitimate purpose of helping minors make mature and informed decisions about whether to abort, allow parents to assist their daughter in selecting a safe and competent abortion provider, ensure that parents have the opportunity to provide additional medical history and information to assist abortion providers, and ensures that parents have adequate knowledge to recognize and respond to post-abortion complications.
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke quoting the U.S. Supreme Court in the opinion, writing that, "The State has a strong and legitimate interest in the welfare of its young citizens, whose immaturity, inexperience, and lack of judgment may sometimes impair their ability to exercise their rights wisely."
Attorney Parrish stated "We are encouraged that the Illinois Supreme Court has upheld the wisdom of an Illinois law designed to protect young women in one of the most crucial decisions of her life -- whether to allow the child inside her to live."
Read the Mauck & Baker amicus curiae brief here.
Read the entire Illinois Supreme Court opinion here.
About Mauck & Baker, LLC
Mauck & Baker, established in Chicago in 2001, is nationally known for representing churches, religious institutions, businesses, and individuals. The firm concentrates its practice to the area of religious liberty litigation around the country. It works with individuals and businesses as well as on personal and corporate matters.
