Judge: Medical providers don’t have to give info on abortion

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois judge has suspended a state requirement that health care providers who oppose abortion must give information or referrals to patients seeking the procedure.

The injunction issued by Winnebago County Judge Eugene Doherty on Tuesday applies to northern Illinois clinics that brought the lawsuit, including in Chicago.

Doherty says the providers who object to abortion “raised a fair question” about whether the law violates “their right to be free from government compelled speech.”

The providers filed the lawsuit against the state in August after an Illinois law was amended to include the new requirements.

They wanted the injunction to prevent the state from penalizing doctors and medical staff who cite objection to abortion as the reason for not providing such information or referrals.

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This story has been clarified to reflect that the ruling applies to a handful of clinics.