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In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to return the
issue of regulating abortion back to the states led to multiple
states restricting the procedure, while Illinois has pushed for
abortion rights.
On Monday, Pritzker addressed the anniversary and reaffirmed his
commitment to providing abortion care. He took part in an
abortion roundtable with Chicago Abortion Fund leaders,
healthcare providers, and advocates for abortion services.
"On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I am here to say that
Illinois will remain a haven for women from all corners of the
nation," the governor said. "I will continue to do everything in
my power to expand access to reproductive healthcare and protect
patients and providers alike because, like you, I know that
abortion access is healthcare."
Pritzker said he expects the issue of abortion to be a
significant talking point in the upcoming presidential election.
"We have a lot of challenges in the United States, and President
Biden has shown himself capable of bringing both sides
together," Pritzker said. "I'm hopeful because he is the one
person that running that reaches across the aisle to bring
people together to solve these problems."
The Republican candidates, according to Pritzker, will do
everything they can to outlaw abortion.
"Now I guess we are down to Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, who
all want to take away a woman's right to choose," Pritzker said.
"Let there be debate about that."
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, according to
the Illinois Department of Public Health, nearly 17,000 people
came from other states to Illinois to terminate a pregnancy,
which has led to political pushback within the state's
government.
Last summer, Pritzker's office announced a cross-agency
reproductive health care initiative that included $10 million
for a public hotline for abortion service navigation and $5
million in capital funding for reproductive health facilities.
State Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, said the state is
spending more on people who do not live here.
"These numbers are alarming, and I wish the state would do
something about this, but they continue to incentivize this,"
Halbrook said. "It is unfair to the taxpayers of Illinois to
first of all pay for abortions and secondly pay for folks
abortions from out of state."
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