This fall, Illinois voters may have the chance to vote on a ballot measure supporters say is intended to put state lawmakers "on notice," urging them to consider the rights of parents when drafting legislation and making laws affecting children across the state.
Since late 2023, a coalition of conservative and family values advocacy groups, calling themselves the Parents Matter Coalition, have worked with thousands of volunteers across Illinois to gather signatures on petitions to place a question before voters in the November 2024 election.
They are calling their effort the Right to Parent Ballot Initiative.
Tracy Smodilla
| Facebook.com/tracyforU46/
The proposed question reads: "Shall the written consent from a minor's parent or guardian be required before any entity, person, clinic or school can provide a minor (under the age of 18 years) any non-emergency medical procedure, medication, pharmaceutical, or any gender modification procedure, gender identification counseling or gender therapy?"
The ballot question would not be binding, meaning even if it wins a supermajority of votes, it will not carry the force of law. Rather, the question would be considered an "advisory" referendum to send a message from Illinois voters to state lawmakers and other state officials, and influence the conversation for future lawmaking, said Parents Matter Coalition spokesperson Tracy Smodilla.
"We know that when we submit a petition like this, with a significant number of signatures, it puts legislators - some of whom have voted for legislation that is really egregious to families and parental rights - it puts them on notice that we're aware and we're not going to stand by and take it anymore," said Smodilla.
Smodilla, of Hanover Township, is a former Republican candidate for the Illinois State Senate, and now is helping to lead the effort to place the question on the November ballot.
She is joined in the effort by a coalition of conservative social policy advocates, including former Illinois State Rep. Jeanne Ives, of Wheaton; the Illinois Family Institute; Illinois Moms for America; Freedom Square; Illinois Right to Life Action; Parents' Rights in Education; the Illinois Freedom Alliance; Citizens for Kids Education (C4KE); and Rescue for Children Organization.
Smodilla said the effort has been years in the making, as voters became more aware of a growing number of laws enacted by the state's legislative Democratic supermajority and Gov. JB Pritzker that they said have been anti-family and trespass upon parental rights.
Smodilla said these have included laws and regulations that she said have given school officials and others the ability to enable minors to get abortions, receive contraception and transition genders without informing parents or obtain their consent.
She said these medical procedures, some of which are life altering or irreversible, are being performed at times on minors as young as 10 years old, in some instances.
She further noted state law and school rules allow minors to receive mental health counseling sessions without parental consent or notification.
"There has been this awakening to recognize the amalgamation of laws that have been seen to chip away at parental rights, and broaden a schism between parents and their children, and the schools we entrust to educate our kids," said Smodilla.
She said concerns appear to largely fall on deaf ears in the Democrat-dominated General Assembly, which has firmly backed progressive policy goals from abortion clinic operator Planned Parenthood and other left-wing activist organizations.
In a bid to draw attention to their concerns, Smodilla said the coalition drafted the proposed Right to Parent Initiative and moved to place the question directly before voters.
To place the question on the November ballot, the Coalition must collect at least 328,371 signatures from registered voters throughout Illinois on petitions, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. That number is equal to 8% of the votes cast for candidates for governor in the 2022 general election, a figure set by law.
They must submit those petitions no later than May 6.
Smodilla said the Coalition set a goal of collecting 500,000 signatures statewide. That figure could allow the Right to Parent Initiative to survive petition challenges which could arise from any potential opponents seeking to keep the intiative from going before voters.
Smodilla said petitions have been circulated in "all 102 counties" in Illinois, and the Coalition believes it is very close to meeting the minimum number of signatures needed. Smodilla said she expects many more petitions to be returned in coming days, ahead of the Coalition's April 15 petition collection deadline.
She noted the petition can be obtained online, but it cannot be signed online. Rather, the petition must be circulated in person by a circulator who abides by rules established by state law and by the Parents Matter Coalition.
Smodilla said, at this point, the Coalition's most urgent need is for more signatures on the petitions.
But she said the petition effort has also enabled the group and its volunteers to educate voters throughout the state not only about the effort and past state laws, but also about the lawmaking and regulatory process, in general.
"We've had so many people tell us, 'We had no idea. We were just working every day, sending our kids to school, and didn't know what was happening or how to get involved,'" Smodilla said. "Hopefully, that begins to change."