Rockord pro-life center files civil rights lawsuit against Illinois over religious freedom

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A pro-life pregnancy center in Rockford is joining a federal civil rights lawsuit against Illinois, claiming a recently amended law would force them to violate their religious beliefs.

The Pregnancy Center of Rockford, at 4108 Morsay Drive, and the Catholic Diocese of Springfield filed the suit in federal court on Thursday, naming Illinois Department of Human Rights Director James Bennett and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul as defendants.

“Our employees represent the Diocese and are expected to uphold our standards of conduct to ensure they align with the doctrine and moral teaching of the Catholic Church,” said Bishop Thomas John Paprocki. “However, under the state law, we cannot hire or retain employees based on our deeply held religious beliefs on pro-life teachings without being subject to disciplinary action. We must have the freedom to follow and express our convictions without government interference.”

The suit claims that a recent amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act would forbid them from acting in accordance with their religious beliefs, especially in the context of abortion.

The Act prohibits employers from engaging in speech and conduct that some find “unwelcome” or “offensive,” and says it would prevent them from espousing the church’s position on abortion, which “considers the act murder of innocent life,” thus exposing them to legal prosecution.

According to the lawsuit, the Pregnancy Center and the Diocese maintain they “will not lie to their employees by saying that employees can make sinful reproductive decisions without facing adverse action and with the blessing of ministry benefits and accommodations.”

“Indeed, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton publicly admitted that by enacting the New Bill, ‘Illinois is not just protecting a right; it is championing fundamental principles’ about reproduction contrary to Plaintiffs’ Christian beliefs,” the suit says.

“Illinois can’t force pro-life religious organizations to bend their knee to the state’s secular view of abortion,” said ADF Senior Counsel Mark Lippelmann. “The Constitution protects the right of religious organizations to choose workers who will advance—rather than contradict—their religious beliefs. We urge the court to uphold these organizations’ fundamental right to serve their communities consistent with their faith.”

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, turning the subject of abortion access over to individual states.

Under Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois has some of the strongest abortion protection laws in the nation. It is bordered by states that have banned abortions like Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Missouri, making the state an ideal location for relocated abortion clinics.

Under Illinois law, state and local jurisdictions cannot provide any information or expend any resources to help an out-of-state entity investigate legal healthcare, including abortions or gender-affirming care, provided in Illinois.

The Illinois budget for fiscal year 2026 sets aside $24 million for services that include abortions.

The state’s spending plan has $2 million in grant funds for freestanding reproductive healthcare clinics, $5 million for training and $4 million for “birth equity” initiatives.

Meanwhile, legislation introduced in the Illinois Statehouse would repeal the Reproductive Health Act and effectively ban abortion statewide.

House Bill 1333, introduced by Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-115th), Rep. Tony McCombie (R-89th), and co-sponsored by Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-117th) would also create several laws that would make full abortion or partial-birth abortions illegal, except in cases of a medical emergency in which the mother’s life is endangered.