Being an abortion provider in Chicago, we have women come to us from adjacent states because they are unable to access care in their home state for a number of reasons; sometimes there is a lack of a provider or the outpatient setting is not safe given the extenuating circumstances of the pregnancy.

One such example is a 36-year-old patient who came to us from Wisconsin. Her current pregnancy was complicated by placenta previa (where the placenta overlies the cervix, putting the patient at risk for heavy bleeding) and multiple fetal anomalies that were likely lethal. She sought an abortion in her home state but was unable to obtain one for various reasons. She came to our facility and paid a large sum of money out-of-pocket (the cost of which we discounted for her) because the insurance she had would not provide coverage for an abortion.

This was someone, like many seeking this care, who did not really have an extra $6,000 to spend on a procedure like this.