Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky; every state that touches Illinois’ borders could either increase restrictions or ban entirely the ability for a woman to get an abortion following the Supreme Court of the United State’s (SCOTUS) decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
What the ruling means for Illinois
In 2017, Illinois approved public funding for abortion and repealed a 1975 “trigger” law. The state’s Reproductive Health Act of 2019 established the fundamental right for people to make their own decisions about contraception and abortion. As of June 1, minors are no longer required to notify a parent or guardian before getting an abortion, an action that abortion-rights proponents considered the last roadblock to unfettered access in Illinois.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois is preparing to see two to five times the number of patients it currently sees for abortion care, said Jennifer Welch, the organization’s president and CEO. The most recent data available from the Illinois Department of Health shows in 2020 more than 9,000 abortions were performed for women from those five bordering states.
“Millions of people will find themselves in a vast abortion desert,” Welch said. “And that’s where Illinois comes in as the oasis for care.”
Overwhelming Democratic majorities in the Illinois General Assembly have been preparing for a Roe rollback for years.
What’s more, in reaction to the ruling Governor JB Pritzker has called for a special session to, “further enshrine our commitment to reproductive health care rights and protections,” according to a release from his office.
Wisconsin
As of the SCOTUS decision, the state allows most abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy. But a state law passed in 1849, and never repealed, makes abortion a felony in Wisconsin. However the state’s Democratic attorney general argues the law is so old that it’s unenforceable. It is also a law which conflicts with a 1985 law prohibiting abortions performed after a fetus reaches viability. Though Wisconsin’s governor and attorney general are both Democrats, the state legislature is controlled by Republicans who have expressed the intent to clarify the 1849 law as well as push for more restrictive abortion laws
Indiana
As of the SCOTUS decision, the state allows abortion until the 20th week of pregnancy. Indiana has a Republican-dominated legislature and a Republican governor who have collectively expressed interest in adopting a law that bans abortions around six weeks. The governor has already called a special session for July 6 where a law restricting or banning abortion could be passed.
Iowa
As of the SCOTUS decision, the state allows most abortions until the 20th week of pregnancy, but legislators had previously passed a ban on abortion at six-weeks of pregnancy which, at the time, was overturned as unconstitutional. With a Republican-controlled legislature and a Republican governor who is up for reelection, a special session could be called within weeks to revive the 2018 law or pass a full ban on all abortions.
Missouri
As of the SCOTUS decision, the state allows abortions until the 22nd week of pregnancy, however a trigger law is in place which will ban all abortions except in the case where the mother’s life is at risk. Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, this law will go into effect as soon as the state’s attorney general certifies the court’s ruling. That is expected to happen within a matter of days and would make performing an illegal abortion a felony punishable by 5 to 15 years in prison.
Kentucky
All abortions are now illegal in the state with the narrow exception when it is needed to prevent the death or permanent injury of a pregnant woman. This is the result of a trigger law passed in 2019. Kentuckians will also vote in November whether or not the state’s constitution should be amended to declare there is no right to abortion in Kentucky.
