Illinois Right to Life (IRL) has filed a complaint with the state attorney general’s public access counselor, saying that Gov. JB Pritzker’s office failed to comply with Illinois law by not providing requested records related to a potential constitutional amendment that could allow minors to obtain gender “transitions” without parental consent.
The organization stated in a March 9 press release that it had asked the governor’s office to provide information about the potential amendment, which could head to the 2026 ballot. According to the release, the office failed to comply with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), allowing the deadline of five days from the date of the organization’s request for information to lapse.
IRL said it notified the office that the request was overdue and gave the governor another chance to release the information, but received no response. The organization then filed a formal complaint with the public access counselor, requesting that the counselor review the office’s refusal to comply with state law. According to the release, the complaint requests that the counselor review whether the office violated FOIA and asks for the records in question to be released.
If the amendment exists, IRL worries that it would expand “reproductive freedom rights” in Illinois and extend to “gender-affirming” medical procedures as well. The organization has also raised concerns that the amendment could allow minors to obtain sex-change treatments without their parents’ consent.
“Our concern is simple: if the administration is preparing a constitutional amendment that could potentially affect parental involvement in medical decisions for their minor children, the public deserves transparency,” Mary Kate Zander, president of IRL, stated in the release. “In 2023, the Governor promised a constitutional amendment. During the 2024 election cycle, this amendment was strategically delayed. We are calling for transparency from his office as the window for public discourse on a 2026 amendment continues to shrink.”
IRL has said the timing of the amendment process is concerning since if it appears on the 2026 ballot, it must pass both state legislative chambers by May 5.
The organization stated, “If introduced in the coming weeks, that deadline would leave only a short window for public debate on a significant constitutional change.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the parental rights’ issue at hand is one involving gender “transitions,” not abortions. It is already legal in Illinois for girls to receive abortions without parental knowledge or consent.