Illinois Planned Parenthood Sees Surge of Patients After Abortion Bans

Vasectomy appointments have increased 97 percent as well

Jun 26, 2023 at 12:35 pm

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Planned Parenthood's Fairview Heights health center has been busy since the Supreme Court allowed states to ban abortion on June 26, 2022.

Planned Parenthood's clinic in Fairview Heights has handled a 35 percent increase in abortion patients since the federal right to abortions was overturned a year ago, leading to abortion crackdowns in many neighboring states.

And more than 40 percent of abortion patients — a 700 percent increase — have traveled to the Fairview Heights health center from outside the bi-state region of Missouri and Illinois in the past 11 months, according to Planned Parenthood.

These are just a few data points shared by Planned Parenthood on the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, which overturned abortion rights in U.S. on June 24, 2022.

In the past 11 months, the Planned Parenthood facility in Fairview Heights has handled:

A 57 percent increase in procedural abortions, with abortions for patients 14 weeks or more into their pregnancy jumping by 32 percent
A 97 percent increase in vasectomy appointments
Up to 85 percent of patients traveling from outside of Illinois

A year ago, Missouri was the first state in the U.S. to ban most abortions when then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt signed a proclamation effectively barring non-emergency abortions mere minutes after the U.S. Supreme reversed its opinion on Roe v. Wade.

Since then, at least 44 states have banned abortion at certain points of pregnancy, leaving patients to cross state lines to receive care. Among other hurdles, these patients have to scramble to handle child care, take time off work, and pay for their travel costs.

But all this was anticipated. Planned Parenthood spent years scaling up its operation in Illinois and winding down abortion services at its longtime clinic at St. Louis' Central West End. It also opened a Regional Logistics Center to help patients navigate travel in January 2022. And abortion funds have rallied to help patients find the financial support they need.

Abortion Funds Spend More as Cost of Abortion Travel Soars: Midwest Access Coalition is spending upwards of $2,500 for some patients

Since last July, the Missouri Abortion Fund has granted over $735,000 in aid to Missourians seeking abortions. In all, the non-profit has funded 2,355 abortions in the past 11 months.

"Our years of navigating cruel and medically unnecessary abortion restrictions in Missouri prepared us for this national public health crisis," Yamelsie Rodriguez, president and CEO of reproductive health services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, said in a statement. "We will not back down from this fight we'll continue to do all we can to serve our patients who are bearing the brunt of this dark moment."