Planned Parenthood Groups in
Illinois, Wisconsin Partner
to Improve Access
Producer, Public News Service
Illinois - (PNS) - 7/27/22 - Planned Parenthood of Illinois and Wisconsin are partnering to improve abortion access for Wisconsinites.
Abortion in Wisconsin was functionally banned after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case guaranteeing access to abortions.
Jennifer Welch, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois,
said the new partnership will increase services at the state's Waukegan
clinic, just across the Wisconsin-Illinois border, south of Kenosha.
"Abortion providers from Wisconsin now travel to Illinois several days a
week to expand access to care at our Waukegan health center," Welch
explained. "We opened the Waukegan health center in 2020 in anticipation
of this moment."
The legality of Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban
is currently a matter of dispute, and the state's Democratic Attorney
General has filed a lawsuit to strike down the pre-Civil War measure.
Even if its enforceability is questionable, the threat of legal action
pushed Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to discontinue providing abortion
care at its clinics.
Tanya Atkinson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin,
said the organization will continue to offer non-abortion-related
reproductive health care. She added support is available for anyone who
needs help getting to the Waukegan clinic.
"We have also added patient navigators who can work with patients
one-on-one and offer additional travel and financial support," Atkinson
outlined. "We really want to remove those barriers for people, as much
as we're able."
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, in 2020, Illinois
clinics performed roughly 530 abortions for Wisconsin patients, out of
the nearly 9,700 total abortions performed for out-of-state residents.
Kristen Schultz, chief strategy and operations officer for Planned
Parenthood of Illinois, said demand has exploded since Roe's fall.
"Patients from Wisconsin traveling to our health centers across the
state in Illinois for abortion has increased 10 times versus the
pre-June average," Schultz reported. "We expect to see this need
continue to expand."
Before the Supreme Court's ruling, the number of out-of-state abortions
Illinois clinics provided had steadily grown over the years. In 1995,
the state performed about 3,600 abortions for out-of-state patients,
roughly 63% below the number provided in 2020.
Ruling U.S. Supreme Court 06/24/2022
Abortion law Wis. State Legislature 1849
Abortion statistics Ill. Dept. of Public Health 2020
