(WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood of Illinois said its doors will stay open.
“We are a safe haven because we passed the Reproductive Health Act in 2019,” said Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois. “And what that did, is it repealed a number of outdated state laws and affirmed the legal right to access abortion in Illinois, no matter what happens at the Supreme Court level.”
Although Illinois residents will still have access to abortion services, overturning Roe V. Wade would present new challenges for PPIL since there are neighboring states that don’t have similar protections.
Welch said it’s possible Illinois will see between 20,000 and 30,000 additional patients annually if Roe V. Wade is overturned.
“Here at Planned Parenthood of Illinois, we have been preparing to welcome patients that are faced with the horrifying dilemma of traveling thousands of miles to get the care that they need of seeking an illegal alternative in their home state or carrying an unplanned pregnancy to term.”
That’s why PPIL has spent the last several years preparing for a surge in the need for care.
“We have added two new health centers,” said Welch. “One in Flossmoor on the Illinois/Indiana border and the other one in Waukegan near the Wisconsin border.”
The organization has doubled the size of some health centers and launched telehealth care so patients can have a video visit and have medication abortion pills mailed to them in an Illinois address.
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