(The Center Square) – A controversial abortion proposal from State Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Andalusia, is drawing sharp reactions across Illinois, exposing divisions among Republicans and advocacy groups over how far the state’s pro-life movement should go.
Anderson’s bill, SB3572, would treat harm to or the death of an unborn child the same as that of a born person under Illinois homicide and assault laws, applying the same criminal standards and potentially allowing murder charges, at a prosecutor’s discretion.
The Illinois Family Institute supports the bill, with executive director David Smith saying it reflects the belief that life begins at conception and deserves full legal protection.
“If we believe that life begins at conception, and if we believe that all human life deserves human rights protections, then we need to fight for the life of the baby — the rights of the baby,” Smith told TCS. “If somebody intentionally and with malice of forethought aborts human life in their womb, then they need to be held accountable for that.”
Smith rejected claims that the proposal is politically reckless or motivated by personal ambition, arguing instead that it reflects moral clarity rather than electoral calculation.
“What we’re trying to do is not necessarily politics,” Smith said. “I have a 75-year-old friend who works in ministry with post-abortive women. She has had four abortions in her lifetime, and she told me that if abortion had been illegal when she first faced that decision, she never would have had her first, let alone the others.”
Some Republicans don’t agree. Former Republican attorney general candidate Tom DeVore publicly criticized the bill, calling it extreme and warning it could damage broader pro-life efforts.
“Regardless of one’s position on the abortion topic, this fringe bill teeters on the edge of lunacy,” said DeVore in a social media post.
David Smith framed SB3572 as a response to what he described as increasingly extreme abortion legislation advanced by Democrats.
“Illinois will allow an abortion doctor who lost their license in another state to come here and practice,” Smith said. “In fact, of the 100,000 abortions in Illinois, about 35,000 are from out-of-state. So, we’re not only ending the lives of Illinois-born unborn children, but also those from elsewhere, including, in some cases, pregnant illegal alien mothers.
DeVore argued the proposal pushes Republicans to the fringe and gives Democrats ammo, making consensus on supporting women and families harder.
“We lose when singular out of touch legislators rush to file bills to satisfy some personal self-serving interest which does not remotely align with the overall values of the Republican Party. Sen. Anderson is on an island of his own with this preposterous bill which will fortunately never see the light of day,” DeVore stated on social media.
Smith dismissed that criticism as misguided, accusing opponents of prioritizing political comfort over moral conviction.
“This is the right response to extremity,” Smith said. “The shedding of innocent blood is not something that just goes unnoticed.”
SB3572 has been filed but has not yet advanced in the Democratic-majority General Assembly, where its prospects remain uncertain.
