Illinois shines beacon of abortion rights and access in regressive Midwest

Illinois women and the men who support them are duly proud that Illinois remains committed to women's' reproductive health and abortion rights as other Midwestern states push back against both. This is evidenced by the steady stream of nearby women into the Prairie State for safe, legal and affordable abortions. Last year out of state abortions increased 21.7% while overall abortions increased just 2.5%. Illinois' progressive approach to preventive reproductive health likely contributes to less abortions among Illinois women. But women in need arrive from Iowa where they face a 20 week limit on the procedure and a disgusting 3 day waiting period. They arrive from Wisconsin which has just 3 abortion providers serving an average of 424,000 women of reproductive age each. They arrive from Missouri with just a single provider, due to an onerous law requiring abortion providers have admitting privileges at a local hospital. Illinois has 24 providers, each serving just 120,000 such women. Four Planned Parenthood clinics closed in Iowa due to state defunding, a measure likely to increase the need for abortion as it's being made more unattainable. But Illinois legislates against their neighbors' pushback, increasing state financed abortions for the poor and for state workers, as well as legislating that repeal of Roe v. Wade will not threaten abortion legality here. While Illinois appreciates the flow of travel money into Illinois from out of state women out of local options, every Illinoisan of good will longs for the day such women can get the most basic right of full reproductive health right in their own back yard.