The Republican tax reform bill on Capitol Hill has a provision that critics say could set women’s rights back decades. State Treasurer Mike Frerichs and abortion rights advocates say a section of the House version of the bill would allow a fetus to be assigned a Social Security number for the purpose of setting up a college savings account even before birth.
Frerichs contends that the provision is an attempt to establish a legal precedent that could be used to overturn Roe v. Wade.
He’s calling on Governor Bruce Rauner to use his influence with Congressional Republicans to get that provision out of the final bill.