DuPage Activist Urges Abortion Rivals to Find Common Ground

Social justice trailblazer Renee Pollino is calling for both pro-choice and pro-life activists to come together and protect young girls by urging Illinois’ lawmakers not to repeal the state’s Parental Notice of Abortion Act. Pollino’s message was shared April 23 with legislators by Parents for the Protection of Girls, a coalition of voters concerned about the proposed repeal of the law that was established in 1995 to protect minors.

Pollino, who operates a coffeehouse dedicated to fighting human trafficking, addictions, extreme poverty, and other societal problems, is on track with the idea that Parental Notification of Abortion is what Illinois voters want, regardless of their stance on abortion. According to a recent poll by The Tarrance Group, 58 percent of pro-choice voters support the current parental notice law.

“Regardless of what side of fence you are on politically, religiously,” Pollino said, speaking to a mixed group of pro-choice and pro-life voters, “We can all agree that young girls need to be protected.”

“We have incredible laws that are there for a reason,” continued Pollino. “The purpose of laws is to protect citizens - especially the vulnerable young girls who are trafficked and exploited.”

Pollino points out that abortion is a surgery or a medical procedure.

When girls have abortions, Pollino emphasized, “It’s really important that they get the medical attention they need, in the aftermath as well, so that they can recover and be cared for.”
In a recent gathering at My Half of the Sky, Pollino’s social justice coffee shop in Wheaton, Illinois, State Representative Amy Grant spoke about the proposed legislation to repeal Illinois’ long-standing Parental Notice of Abortion Act. Grant sits on the Illinois House Human Services Committee of the 102nd Illinois General Assembly. One detail that was clarified is that the current law does not seek parental consent, only notification, which is to be made by the abortion provider.

Pollino, a passionate activist, addressed the crowd that had gathered to learn about the legislative threat to parental notice. A key concern is the unrestricted access that a potential repeal would grant sexual abusers of minors.

“The way trafficking looks in America,” explained Pollino, noting that the sex trafficker is usually a much older man, “They become the boyfriend…A lot of times we think they're stolen, or they're taken.” More frequently, she shared, “We have young girls being manipulated and coerced by traffickers who claim to be their boyfriend, who love on them, shower them emotionally, coerce them and control them. There are usually no chains or being hidden in dark rooms. These are girls who are emotionally coerced and controlled.”

“The average age of a girl who's trafficked in the United States is 13,” stated Pollino, who works with survivors of sex trafficking. “There hasn't been one woman who's worked for me or that I've been friends with who is a [sex trafficking] survivor who hasn't had numerous abortions as a minor.” She described how one exploited woman’s first abortion was when she was eleven years old, the first of five coerced abortions after being trafficked at the age of eight.

“Human trafficking is a serious issue and traffickers should never get a clear path to further exploiting girls,” Pollino stressed, adding that our laws “shouldn't make it easy for them.”

Pollino shared how parental notification becomes a deterrent, telling the story of a woman whose daughter was trafficked, missing for six years, and searched for by the FBI. During that time, the girl had three abortions. If parental notification had been in play for this situation, this girl would have been located much sooner.

Of Illinois’ Parental Notification of Abortion Act, Pollino underscored, “This law is really important.” She said that is because we need, “to have some accountability so that traffickers do not continue to further exploit and abuse young girls.”

Parents for the Protection of Girls sent Pollino’s video presentation to state lawmakers in an effort to inform them of the great risk presented to young girls by the proposed HB 1797 and SB 2190.

View the video presentation by social justice activist Renee Pollino here [https://vimeo.com/540667067].

Learn how parental notification repeal opens doors for predators, with the Fact Sheet from Parents for the Protection of Girls here [https://tinyurl.com/mu7nzm9v].

About Parents for the Protection of Girls

The Parents for the Protection of Girls is coalition of Illinois leaders dedicated to protecting girls from medical injury and sexual abuse. The Parental Notice of Abortion Act protects minor girls and must not be repealed. For more information, visit SaveParentalNotification.com.