Ill. Supreme Court to Consider Abortion Dispute

The Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to consider a dispute over whether the state must begin enforcing a law requiring parents to be notified before their children can obtain an abortion.

The law dates back to 1995 but has never been enforced because of various court actions.

It would require doctors to notify the guardians of a girl 17 or younger before she has an abortion. There are exceptions for emergencies and cases of sexual abuse, and girls could bypass the notification requirement by going to a judge.

Opponents claim it violates the privacy, equal protection and gender-equality clauses of the Illinois constitution.

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that it will hear arguments on whether to start enforcing the law.