CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- After Texas passed Senate Bill 8, which bans most abortions after six weeks, Planned Parenthood Illinois started to see Texas women cross state lines.
“It was passed on a Wednesday, two days later, we had two patients from Texas and we have had patients from Texas every day since then,” said Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois. “We expect these numbers to significantly increase when these dangerous laws continue.”
That’s why Governor Pritzker joined U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (IL-11), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), and Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-8) to urge Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act.
“Nobody, and I really mean nobody, should be forced to cross state lines to see a doctor,” said Governor Pritzker. “The latest extremist attacks on reproductive health prove that we need a federal law to protect a woman's right to control their own healthcare.”
The WHPA would create equal access to abortion federally and lift restrictions including mandatory waiting periods, two-trip requirements, and mandatory ultrasounds.
“The Women's Health Protection Act is a federal bill that will protect the freedom to make personal decisions about reproductive health care from politicians who wish to control it so that nobody is denied access to basic healthcare just because of the state that they live in,” said Representative Underwood.
The House is expected to vote on the bill when it reconvenes next week.
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