MEMORANDUM OPINION
On May 4, 1984, we enjoined enforcement of the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1983 (“Act”).
Zbaraz v. Hartigan,
I.
A. Case History
Plaintiffs filed this class action to enjoin the Illinois Attorney General and a defendant class consisting of Illinois state’s attorneys from enforcing the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1983, Ill.Rev. Stat. ch. 38, par. 81-61, et seq. The plaintiff class includes physicians who wish to perform abortions for unemancipated minors and adjudicated disabled persons, and minors and disabled persons desiring to obtain an abortion. In 1984, we granted the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and permanently enjoined operation of the statute. We held that the statute’s 24 hour waiting period unconstitutionally burdened a young woman’s decision to have an abortion. We also found that the statute’s judicial bypass procedure failed to assure a woman that her waiver of notice hearing, or a subsequent appeal if waiver was denied, would be both confidential and expeditious.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed our holding that the 24 hour waiting period was uncon
B. Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1983
The Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act was enacted by the Illinois General Assembly on November 2, 1983, over Governor Thompson’s veto. Section 4 of the statute requires a person performing an abortion upon an “unemancipated minor” or “incompetent” to give 24 hours actual notice (by phone or in person) to both the pregnant woman’s parents. Only one parent must be notified if the woman’s parents are divorced or if one of the parents is “not available.” Another adult who is “standing in loco parentis” may be notified if neither parent is available. Section 6 of the statute provides an exception to the statute’s notification requirement if a medical emergency “requires an immediate abortion.” The required 24 hour waiting period is also lifted under Section 7 if the woman has already notified both her parents (or the appropriate adult as provided by Section 4) and they either accompany her to the location where the abortion will be performed or sign notarized statements stating that they have received notice.
A pregnant minor may avoid giving notice to her parents by petitioning on her own or “by next friend” the circuit court in the county where she is living, or the one in which the abortion will be performed, for a judicial waiver of notice under the procedures set out in Section 5 of the Act. These procedures provide that the court “shall appoint a guardian ad litem” for the woman and “shall advise her that she has a right to court appointed counsel and shall provide her with such counsel upon her request.” Court proceedings are to be “confidential” and “ensure anonymity.”
The circuit court must rule on the petition within 48 hours of receiving the minor’s application except if the woman herself requests an extension. The court is directed to waive parental notice if it finds that the woman is mature or notice would not be in the woman’s best interests. The court must issue a written opinion stating its findings and decision and must order that “a confidential record of the evidence be maintained.” The Act also provides that “an expedited, confidential appeal shall be available, as the Supreme Court provides by rule” if waiver is denied, and directs the Illinois Supreme Court “to promulgate any rules ... necessary to ensure proceedings under this Act are handled in an expeditious and confidential manner.”
C. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 307
Section 5 of the Act now incorporates Illinois Supreme Court Rule 307(e). The Rule provides that a woman may appeal a denial of waiver of parental notice by filing a written petition in the Appellate Court. A supporting record must be filed with the petition “which shall include the notice of interlocutory appeal; the pleadings filed in the circuit court, if any; the decision of the circuit court including the specific findings of facts and legal conclusions supporting the decision; and any supporting documents of record the petition may offer.” She may file her appeal “using only her initials or a pseudonym.”
The petitioner may also file a memorandum supporting her appeal within two days of the circuit court’s denial of the waiver. The Rule further provides that “[a]ny respondent that desires to do so may file, with proof of personal service, any responding memorandum within two days following the filing of the petition, supporting record, and any memorandum which the minor ... files and serves on respondents of record.” The Appellate Court “may ... order a different schedule or
II.
A woman’s constitutional right to obtain an abortion extends to minors.
Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth,
Statutes such as the Illinois Act, which require notification of both parents, must provide a judicial bypass procedure.
See Hodgson,
Against these standards we previously measured the bypass procedure in the Illinois Act and found that the statute failed to provide a constitutional alternative to parental notification. We now consider whether Supreme Court Rule 307 has cured the waiver procedure’s constitutional deficiencies, and whether the Rule itself has imposed any unconstitutional burdens on a minor’s right to obtain an abortion.
A. Confidentiality in the Circuit Court
Rule 307 specifically permits a woman to proceed with her appeal of a denial of waiver of parental notice without disclosing her name, and also provides that appellate records related to a minor’s appeal “shall be sealed as confidential” and are “not available to the public.” No such “sealing” provision, however, applies when a woman initially files her petition in a circuit court. The statute simply provides that “the proceedings ... shall be confidential and shall ensure the anonymity of the minor.”
We have already held, and the Seventh Circuit has agreed, that general language stating that proceedings “shall be confidential” does not sufficiently ensure that a minor’s identity will be withheld from the public.
Zbaraz,
Defendants argue that the Illinois statute provides greater safeguards than the Minnesota statute upheld in
Hodgson.
Although the Minnesota statute itself does not specify procedures to assure confidentiality (it contains a general statement that proceedings will be confidential) the statute was not before the Court on a facial challenge. The Minnesota bypass procedures had been operational, and the district court, after 5-week trial, “found that the Minnesota courts have established procedures to assure the minor’s anonymity.”
Hodgson v. Minnesota,
Thus the Supreme Court’s decision in Hodgson in no way alters the need for a statute which imposes a parental notification requirement to assure that bypass proceedings — from the moment a petition is filed to the completion of any appeal — are confidential. This protection is absent from the Illinois Act at the circuit court level. Nor does Rule 307 provide it. The bypass procedure therefore, remains unconstitutional.
B. Delay in the Circuit Court
Plaintiffs argue that the Act as modified by Rule 307 fails to ensure that an appeal following a denial of waiver will be handled expeditiously. They contend that the statute imposes no time limit on the circuit court to issue a written opinion, which must be filed as part of the record on appeal. They specifically note that if a transcript is substituted for a written opinion such delay could be extensive. Although we may accept plaintiffs’ contention that, in general, preparation of a transcript may take a significant period of time, we do not read the Act as permitting a circuit court to issue its written ruling beyond the 48 hour period mandated by Section 5(c) merely because the written opinion requirement in Section 5(e) does not repeat this 48 hour limit.
We must examine the language of the statute as a whole rather than as isolated requirements.
See, e.g., Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Engle,
Plaintiffs also note that the statute contains no fail safe provision providing for an automatic waiver if a ruling is not issued in 48 hours. We agree that the inclusion of such a provision in the statute and Rule would clearly be desirable, but we cannot find that the statute is unconstitutional based on the possibility that those charged with implementing the bypass procedure may not follow the law. See also id. at 2981 (upholding Ohio’s constructive authorization provision noting that the Court “did not require a similar safety net ... in Ashcroft ”).
Plaintiffs further point out that the statute fails to provide 24 hour a day, 7 day a week access to courts for a minor seeking to obtain a waiver of notice. Again, although continual access to the courts would be preferable, the absence of such a provision itself does not prevent a woman from obtaining an adjudication that is sufficiently expeditious, nor do the plaintiffs cite any authority which mandates unlimited court access.
Accordingly, we cannot conclude that the bypass procedure fails to ensure an expeditious procedure at the circuit court level.
C. Appointment of a Guardian Ad Li-tem
Plaintiffs challenge the Act’s failure to define the role of the guardian ad litem who must be appointed after a minor has filed her waiver petition. In Illinois, a guardian ad litem has a duty to represent the best interests of a ward, which includes making a recommendation to the court based on his or her assessment of the ward’s best interests.
In Interest of K.M.B.,
The purpose of the bypass hearing is in part to preserve the right of a mature minor independently to make a decision to have an abortion.
Bellotti II,
Plaintiffs also argue that a guardian ad litem has a duty to investigate which may threaten the confidentiality of the proceedings. They note too that the Act contains
A guardian ad litem may not substitute his or her judgment for that of a mature minor nor may the guardian breach the strict confidentiality of the bypass proceedings. We therefore cannot find that the appointment of the guardian ad litem threatens the minor's right to have a confidential bypass procedure which focuses solely on her maturity and best interests. 3
D. Omitted Administrative Steps
Plaintiffs cite a variety of omitted provisions in the bypass proceedings. They note, for example, that no court has enacted orders identifying which clerk is to receive the woman's petition, which court division will hold the hearing, and how the woman will be informed of the court's ruling. Plaintiffs also point to defendants' request in their petition for a delay in the operation of the Act (in the event that the injunction is lifted) in order to ready the court system as being an admission of the statute's procedural defects.
As we previously recognized, "potential difficulties and `red tape'" in gaining access to the judicial process do not require that a woman be given pre-filing assistance since any possible confusion would not deny the woman an effective opportunity to obtain a judicial bypass. Zbaraz,
We do have some concern about the statute's failure to state precisely how the minor will be informed of the court's ruling. Cf. Akron II,
E. Appellate Court Proceedings
Plaintiffs also challenge certain provisions of the appellate procedure set out in Rule 307. Plaintiffs' primary objection is that the Rule apparently contemplates an adversarial rather than an cx parte proceeding. The Rule provides that "[a]ny respondent that desires to do so may file, with proof of personal service, any responding memorandum within two days following the filing of the petition."
The question immediately arises-who, if anyone, would be a proper respondent? The Bellotti II plurality, in mandating that a pregnant minor should be given an alternative procedure to seeking parental approval prior to having an abortion, apparently did not contemplate that such a procedure would be a formal adversarial proceeding.
Defendants contend that the Act expressly provides that a court must waive notice if it finds the woman is mature or notice would not be in her best interests and that these issues are the focus under the statute both in the circuit court and in any subsequent appeal. Defendants, however, fail to provide any explanation for the inclusion of references to and procedures for the involvement of a “respondent” if the statute permits only an ex parte proceeding limited to examination of the minor’s maturity or best interests. There is no provision for the involvement of an adverse party in the circuit court. If the proceedings are effectively confidential as they must be, no respondent could possibly appear in the case. The only persons having knowledge of the woman’s appeal should properly be any guardian ad litem or attorney appointed to assist her and the judge — none of whom can be a “respondent.”
The involvement of other third parties is also apparently contemplated by Subsection 8 of Rule 307(e). This provision limits access to the appellate records to the minor, her attorney and guardian ad litem and to “judges, social workers or other individuals whom the court may find necessary to assist in this appeal.” Defendants argue that this provision permits the court to allow the minor to supplement the record with the assistance of others. But the Rule expressly states that this provision allows the court on its own to consult unlimited third parties if the court thinks it necessary. Such a provision is inconsistent with the requirement that the bypass procedure remain confidential. More significantly, the Rule does not require that the minor be given notice of any such consultations, nor does it give her the right to reply in the event that “other individuals” consulted by the appellate court recommend affirming the circuit court and denying the petition. Such a procedure does not comport with due process.
See, e.g., Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill,
Finally, Subsection 5 of the Rule also permits an Appellate Court “if it deems appropriate, [to] order a different schedule, or order that no memoranda be filed, or order that other materials need not be filed.” Although the Rule does require the Appellate Court to decide the woman’s petition “within two days,” the 48 hour clock does not start ticking until the time has expired for the filing of any memoranda. The possibility of uncertain delay then arises from the Rule’s allowance of time for “respondents” to file memoranda in opposition to the minor’s appeal. While a “respondent” is not permitted to request an extension, the court on its own may extend the two day period in which the “respondent” may file a memorandum. The time frame for such a “different schedule” is completely within the appellate court’s discretion. It could run for an indefinite period of time since the 48 hour ruling requirement applies only after the briefing period has expired.
In sum, we find that the Act as supplemented by Rule 307 is also unconstitutional by failing to assure (1) that a minor receives an expeditious and confidential appeal of a circuit court denial of a waiver of notice, (2) that such an appeal focuses
III.
Defendants have moved pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 60(b) to modify our injunction of the 24 hour waiting period. A court retains jurisdiction to modify or dissolve an injunction.
System Federation No. 91, Railway Employees Department v. Wright,
The Supreme Court has intimated that an intervening opinion from that Court may in some circumstances be a basis to alter continued enforcement of an equitable decree. In
Pasadena City Board of Education v. Spangler,
At the time we enjoined the Illinois Act, the Supreme Court had not yet directly considered the constitutionality of a parental notification statute which imposed a waiting period. A long line of cases, however, had refused to uphold waiting periods.
See, e.g., Zbaraz,
A waiting period may provide a pregnant minor the opportunity to consult with her parents after they have been notified of her decision to obtain an abortion. Hodgson,
The Minnesota and Ohio parental notification statutes permit a woman who has obtained parental consent to avoid a waiting period by simply presenting her parent's written consent to her doctor. Id. at 2930 ("[N]otice is mandatory unless both ... parents have consented in writing."); Akron II,
The Illinois Act, by contrast, imposes a mandatory 24 hour waiting period unless the minor provides the notarized written consent of both parents (if both parents are "available" for notification) or both parents accompany their daughter to the location where the abortion will be performed. We have already expressed concern about the burdens imposed by these requirements. As we noted in our earlier opinion, "submission to a notary of an affidavit stating that the parties have been previously notified of the minor's abortion decision may, in many communities, be tantamount to publication of the information in a local newspaper." Zbaraz,
Defendants contend that the Illinois statute is more flexible than the Minnesota statute reviewed in Hodgson because it provides exceptions to two parent notification if one or both parents are "not unavailable." The "unavailability" provision itself, however, is problematic. Section 4(b) provides: "If neither parent nor the legal guardian is available to the person performing the abortion ... within a reason
Defendants have failed to demonstrate that further application of the injunction against the 24 hour waiting period would be inequitable. The Illinois Act’s alternatives to the waiting period are in essence illusory — in many cases complying with the Act’s requirements will themselves impose at least a 24 hour or more delay. Id. The alternatives to 24 hours notice to both parents provided under the Act are likely to cause unwarranted delay and may breach the minor’s entitlement to make a confidential decision to terminate her pregnancy. For these reasons, and because the statute fails to provide a constitutional bypass procedure, continued enjoining of the 24 hour waiting period is not inequitable.
IV.
One final note. We remain concerned by the confusion caused by the Act’s failure to permit constructive notice.
See Zbaraz,
Conclusion
As is apparent from this opinion, we find that the Act as amended by Rule 307 remains constitutionally defective in several regards. We have also noted a number of other respects in which the statute and the Rule are less satisfactory than those of states whose notification laws the Supreme Court has upheld, although not constitutionally defective in those respects. We express the hope that a revised procedure can be adopted which not only satisfies the constitutional requirements but includes provisions dealing with the possible improvements we have noted.
Defendants’ motion to modify the existing injunction against the 24 hour notice period is denied. The waiver of notice procedure provided by the statute and Supreme Court Rule 307 is unconstitutional, and we therefore continue the injunction against the defendants from enforcing any provisions of the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1983.
Notes
. Defendants note that Illinois law permits parties to use fictitious names. Ill.Code Civ.Proc. § 2-401(e). This provision, however, does not guarantee that every minor seeking a waiver may use a fictitious name; it merely provides the opportunity to demonstrate that there is
. Rule 307(e) requires that a minor's petition "shall be prepared and filed in accordance with the provision of subparagraph (d)(1)." Subpar-agraph (d)(1), which applies to appeals of temporary restraining orders, provides in part:
"The petition ... shall be filed in Appellate Court ... within two days of the entry or denial of the temporary restraining order from which review is being sought.”
. The Ohio statute upheld in Akron II also contains a provision for the mandatory appointment of a guardian ad litem. Akron II,
. The Seventh Circuit has found that an intervening Supreme Court decision, "even if applicable, was not by itself such a subsequent event as to render inequitable continued application of [an] ... injunction.”
De Filippis v. United. States,
. The Georgia Parental Notification Act permits an abortion to proceed immediately if the minor furnishes "a statement, signed by a parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis stating that [they have] been notified that an abortion is to be performed on such minor." The Act alternatively requires a physician to give 24 hours notice to the minor's parent "provided, however, that, if the person so notified indicates that he or she has been previously informed that the minor is seeking an abortion or he or she clearly expresses that he or she does not wish to consult with the minor, then in either event the abortion may proceed immediately."
