Chicago Abortion Fund Executive Director Megan Jeyifo was at a comedy show when a rapid-fire series of news alerts and text messages lit up her phone: A draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion leaked Monday indicated the majority of justices plan to overturn Roe v. Wade, threatening abortion rights throughout much of the nation.
The nonprofit leader was at first outraged and then sorrowful. But suddenly, also on her phone, she saw that donations were pouring in from donors who were just as angry and terrified at the prospect of waning abortion access around the country.
“We’ve been preparing for this,” said Jeyifo, whose organization funds abortions as well as transportation, lodging, child care and other costs associated with travel for the procedure. “Our language has been ‘when Roe falls,’ not ‘if Roe falls.’”
The landmark 1973 Supreme Court case has established the right to an abortion nationwide for nearly 50 years. But if Roe were to be overturned, the matter of abortion rights would be decided by individual states.
While abortion will still be legal in Illinois — which has ensconced reproductive freedoms in state law — experts anticipate that more than half the states in the nation would ban or significantly chip away at the right to terminate a pregnancy. This includes every state surrounding Illinois.
“It felt like a gut punch,” said Planned Parenthood of Illinois President and CEO Jennifer Welch. “I was stunned that the Supreme Court appears poised to ignore 50 years of settled law.”
Welch predicted that anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 additional patients could travel to Illinois each year to terminate a pregnancy if abortion rights are overturned.
This is on top of the ever-increasing number of patients who already cross state lines to come here for the procedure. Nearly 10,000 people came from out of state to have an abortion in Illinois in 2020, according to the latest data available from the Illinois Department of Public Health. This was a 29% increase over the previous year, when about 7,500 patients traveled here for the procedure from another state.
The number of abortions here for out-of-state women has risen every year since 2014, according to state health data.
While the news of Roe’s potential demise was shocking, Welch said her agency has been preparing for this possibility for the past five years by increasing the number of health centers, expanding access at facilities, creating a new telehealth program and launching the biggest fundraising campaign in the agency’s history.
“We are proud to say that abortion is still safe and legal in Illinois,” Welch said in a written statement. “This is a devastating blow for the millions of people who will suddenly find themselves in an abortion desert; facing a daunting dilemma — travel hundreds of miles to access an abortion, seek an illegal alternative or carry a pregnancy to term against their will. We will continue to fight so that everyone can access the fundamental reproductive health care they need and deserve — no matter what.”
In Chicago, officials were considering ways to make the areas around abortion clinics safer for women walking in and out, Northwest Side Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa said Tuesday.
He said options might include strengthening city ordinances that create protected zones around clinics where anti-abortion protesters aren’t permitted, or organizing community groups to escort patients to and from the clinic doors.
“With many neighboring states now likely to outlaw abortions, we need to make sure Chicago remains a safe place for women to turn,” Ramirez-Rosa said. “We’ve seen extremists outside these clinics … so it’s incumbent upon us to make certain we’re doing what we can to ensure that safety.”
As for the Chicago Abortion Fund, Jeyifo said her organization already faces a huge increase in need, as many states have in recent years enacted more burdens on abortion access including restrictions on clinics, gestational limits and mandated waiting periods before a patient can have an abortion.
“Our callers have been living in a post-Roe world for decades,” she said. “This is the reality so many people already face.”
In 2018, the organization provided funds for roughly 180 people seeking an abortion; in 2022, more than 500 people on average are calling for financial assistance each month, she said.
In March, those calls for assistance came from 25 different states, she added.
So far, the fund has been able to help every request that’s come in for the past three years, Jeyifo said. But if Roe falls, she worries that demand might start to exceed their budget.
The thought that some patients could be turned away brought tears to her eyes.
“We are already strained,” she said. “I’m thankful for the outpouring of support. But I’m wondering how we sustain it.”
The nonprofit leader was at first outraged and then sorrowful. But suddenly, also on her phone, she saw that donations were pouring in from donors who were just as angry and terrified at the prospect of waning abortion access around the country.
“We’ve been preparing for this,” said Jeyifo, whose organization funds abortions as well as transportation, lodging, child care and other costs associated with travel for the procedure. “Our language has been ‘when Roe falls,’ not ‘if Roe falls.’”
The landmark 1973 Supreme Court case has established the right to an abortion nationwide for nearly 50 years. But if Roe were to be overturned, the matter of abortion rights would be decided by individual states.
While abortion will still be legal in Illinois — which has ensconced reproductive freedoms in state law — experts anticipate that more than half the states in the nation would ban or significantly chip away at the right to terminate a pregnancy. This includes every state surrounding Illinois.
“It felt like a gut punch,” said Planned Parenthood of Illinois President and CEO Jennifer Welch. “I was stunned that the Supreme Court appears poised to ignore 50 years of settled law.”
Welch predicted that anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 additional patients could travel to Illinois each year to terminate a pregnancy if abortion rights are overturned.
This is on top of the ever-increasing number of patients who already cross state lines to come here for the procedure. Nearly 10,000 people came from out of state to have an abortion in Illinois in 2020, according to the latest data available from the Illinois Department of Public Health. This was a 29% increase over the previous year, when about 7,500 patients traveled here for the procedure from another state.
The number of abortions here for out-of-state women has risen every year since 2014, according to state health data.
While the news of Roe’s potential demise was shocking, Welch said her agency has been preparing for this possibility for the past five years by increasing the number of health centers, expanding access at facilities, creating a new telehealth program and launching the biggest fundraising campaign in the agency’s history.
“We are proud to say that abortion is still safe and legal in Illinois,” Welch said in a written statement. “This is a devastating blow for the millions of people who will suddenly find themselves in an abortion desert; facing a daunting dilemma — travel hundreds of miles to access an abortion, seek an illegal alternative or carry a pregnancy to term against their will. We will continue to fight so that everyone can access the fundamental reproductive health care they need and deserve — no matter what.”
In Chicago, officials were considering ways to make the areas around abortion clinics safer for women walking in and out, Northwest Side Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa said Tuesday.
He said options might include strengthening city ordinances that create protected zones around clinics where anti-abortion protesters aren’t permitted, or organizing community groups to escort patients to and from the clinic doors.
“With many neighboring states now likely to outlaw abortions, we need to make sure Chicago remains a safe place for women to turn,” Ramirez-Rosa said. “We’ve seen extremists outside these clinics … so it’s incumbent upon us to make certain we’re doing what we can to ensure that safety.”
As for the Chicago Abortion Fund, Jeyifo said her organization already faces a huge increase in need, as many states have in recent years enacted more burdens on abortion access including restrictions on clinics, gestational limits and mandated waiting periods before a patient can have an abortion.
“Our callers have been living in a post-Roe world for decades,” she said. “This is the reality so many people already face.”
In 2018, the organization provided funds for roughly 180 people seeking an abortion; in 2022, more than 500 people on average are calling for financial assistance each month, she said.
In March, those calls for assistance came from 25 different states, she added.
So far, the fund has been able to help every request that’s come in for the past three years, Jeyifo said. But if Roe falls, she worries that demand might start to exceed their budget.
The thought that some patients could be turned away brought tears to her eyes.
“We are already strained,” she said. “I’m thankful for the outpouring of support. But I’m wondering how we sustain it.”
If Roe falls, Illinois abortion providers plan for 20,000 to 30,000 more patients a year
Experts anticipate that more than half the states in the nation — including every state surrounding Illinois — would ban or significantly chip away at the right to terminate a
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