In Illinois, abortion will remain safe, legal, and accessible regardless of what the Supreme Court decides. Thanks to the Reproductive Health Act, which was signed into law in 2019, people have the fundamental right to make individual decisions about their own reproductive health. This law not only protects Illinoisans, but also out-of-state patients traveling to Illinois to access care.
Despite this, Planned Parenthood of Illinois is furious that the Supreme Court is going to roll back the clock 50 years and overturn Roe v. Wade. Because when this happens, 26 states— including every state that borders Illinois—will move quickly to either severely restrict or ban abortion altogether, making Illinois an oasis in a vast abortion desert. This will disproportionately impact people who already face barriers to health care — Black, Latinx and Indigenous people, immigrants, people with disabilities, people living in rural areas, and people with low incomes—who will have an even harder time accessing the care they need and deserve.
Even if the court’s decision isn’t as extreme as the leaked draft predicts, there is no real win because there’s no room for compromise when it comes to our bodies.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ doors will stay open – no matter what. We will continue to support our patients and ensure they get the care they need when they need it, so they have the power to control their own future and destiny.
At Planned Parenthood of Illinois, we will continue meeting the needs of every patient – for their abortion, for their birth control, for their gender-affirming hormone care, for their STI testing and treatment, for their HIV prevention, for their education and for their well-being.
But we can’t do this alone. Now is the time to act.
Not sure what to do in this moment to defend our right to abortion? Here’s how you can help:
Support abortion funds
Abortion funds help break down unnecessary barriers to care and provide a variety of financial and logistical support, including funding for transportation, lodging, childcare, doula services, and much more. As more people cross state lines to access abortion services, this support will be more critical than ever before.
Get out the vote
Vote, vote, vote! The upcoming election is one of the most important we’ve had in years. Every member of the Illinois General Assembly is up for re-election, and we need your help defending our pro-choice champions up and down the ballot.
- Pledge to vote this November.
Volunteer your time
One of the most important ways you can help defend abortion access is by volunteering! Planned Parenthood volunteers give countless hours to supporting reproductive health and rights and engaging with the community. Whatever your comfort level or capacities are, we have a role for you!
Share your abortion story
Sharing your story can help normalize abortion and inspire others to share their stories, too. Storytelling is also a powerful tool in mobilizing supporters and showing lawmakers what we’re fighting so hard to protect.
- Share your abortion story with us!
Abortion is a fundamental human right. Thank you for joining in the ongoing fight to protect it.
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Brigid Leahy is the Vice President of Public Policy for Planned Parenthood of Illinois.
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