Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) announced Monday that it had seen an increase in abortions by over 50% since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, according to a press release.
The Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization in June 2022 that abortion was not a constitutional right and left the decision up to the states to enact their own laws on the issue. Nearly a year later, PPIL announced that clinics reported an increase in abortions by 54% with almost a quarter of the patients traveling out-of-state to get the procedure, according to the press release. (RELATED: Chris Christie Distances Himself From Federal Abortion Ban: ‘Should Not Be Involved’)
The clinic blamed the increase on the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, noting that more women were also coming in to get abortions at a later gestational point.
“Abortions over 16 weeks gestational age now makes up 13% of all procedural abortions, compared to 8% pre-Dobbs decision, ” the press release reads. “The number of patients needing financial assistance or travel support to get care at PPIL has more than doubled in the year since Dobbs. These trends demonstrate how bans and restrictions force patients to delay and travel farther for care.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Anti-abortion and abortion rights activists protest during the 50th annual March for Life rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on January 20, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The clinic reported that women traveled from 34 different states over the past year for an appointment at the clinic, according to the press release. Nearby states such as Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri have all enacted abortion restrictions following the Dobbs decision.
The press release noted that the cost of patient travel assistance needed to obtain an abortion went from $250 to approximately $500 while touting the $1.5 million in “financial support” that the organization had provided to patients. Additionally, PPIL said that it had made an effort to expand over the past year by adding 700 new volunteers who had a total of 6,200 volunteer hours, more than doubling last year’s numbers at only 2,000 hours.
PPIL is also in the process of accommodating a growing demand for out-of-state transgender patients looking to obtain sex-change medical care, according to the press release.
Jennifer Welch, president and CEO of PPIL, said in the press release that the Supreme Court’s decision had “stripped away a fundamental right,” and also criticized political “interference” in the abortion and transgender issues.
“People should have the freedom to control their own body without political or corporate interference,” Welch said. “This includes access to all abortion options and gender-affirming care, which is targeted by the same anti-abortion organizations and legislators. I am proud of the work PPIL does to meet patients’ needs and continue to fight to expand access to care.”
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article stated that the cost of abortion increased to $500. It has since been corrected to clarify the cost refers to financial assistance.
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