(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A record number of people are traveling to Illinois from out of state for abortion care.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) has seen a 47% increase in overall abortion care patients.
Rianne Hawkins with PPIL says for out-of-state patients in particular, the numbers are even more stark.
"The number of out-of-state patients has made up nearly a quarter of those numbers, where before Dobbs, that number was only about 3 to 5%. And those patients are coming to Illinois from 41 states across the country, so it's a really dramatic increase."
PPIL has worked to support out of state patients with expanded care at certain clinics.
"We've been able to accommodate those additional patients who have been seeking care, expanding our health centers along the Illinois border, so Waukegan, Flossmoor, and Champaign all expanded their access," Hawkins said.
She said the Carbondale Health Center, which opened in December, has seen the largest increase.
"The Carbondale Health Center was opened specifically to accommodate those patients that are traveling, especially from the southern states. Ninety-one percent of abortion patients at that facility are traveling from 16 states to seek care in Carbondale."
Hawkins says PPIL is continuing to evaluate patient volume and look for ways to maximize availability to patients.
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