In Illinois, patients cross state lines to access abortion: Video
Following the failure of Roe v. Wade and trigger laws and special state sessions on abortion access, patients are flocking to Illinois.
In November, the issue of abortion will be on Missouri voters’ ballots. And if Governor JB Pritzker has his way, the referendum will be successful.
The Missouri Secretary of State’s office recently certified signatures on the ballot question that would repeal the state’s complete ban on abortion. Passing the question would give Missourians the right to abortion up until the point of fetal viability, or about 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Pritzker, who is already pushing for referendums in Arizona, Nevada and Ohio as part of his “Think Big America” initiative, said Wednesday that abortion access across the country is critical.
“I’ve been working all over the country to get referendums on the ballot, even in Florida,” he told a State Journal-Register reporter during an impromptu press conference after Governor’s Day. “Not only will this help the women in these states, protect their rights, but it will get people out to vote who will vote Democrat.”
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Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, two states neighboring Illinois have moved in opposite directions on abortion access.
Missouri was the first state to ban abortion entirely—with no exceptions for rape or incest—and is one of 18 states that have banned access to the procedure. In Illinois, however, expanding abortion protections has become the norm.
As a result, Illinois has earned a reputation as an “oasis” for people in neighboring states, as many flock to the state to undergo reproductive health surgeries. In June, Planned Parenthood of Illinois said it had treated patients from 41 states in the two years since the Dobbs decision. Patients from other states now make up about 25% of its patients.
Many of these patients are from Missouri, according to a recent study by the Guttmacher Institute. The sexual and reproductive health research and policy organization documented that 8,750 Missourians traveled to Illinois for an abortion in 2023 alone.
In addition to Missouri, abortion is now also on the ballot in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland and South Dakota.
In Illinois, talks are underway to put the issue of enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution on the ballot, but Pritzker and other Democrats have said the focus should be on other states this year.
Contact Patrick M. Keck: [email protected], twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.
