Stances on abortion swing elections, anti-abortion resolutions are on the rise and abortion providers have their eyes on a case being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court that could impact access to the only medication approved for use in terminating pregnancies.
That's according to Planned Parenthood of Illinois' senior director of public policy Rianne Hawkins, the featured speaker at a Tuesday evening event organized by the League of Women Voters (LWV) of McLean County.
LWV president Diana Hauman said the goal was to keep reproductive health care in public discourse during an election year.
"I don't think it will, but it could go away at any time. We've seen that," Hauman said in an interview. "That’s what’s kind of scary: We’ve taken some of these things for granted — voting rights, reproductive rights, so many things that we’ve taken for granted — that we really need to be paying attention to going forward.”
Paying attention is Hawkins' job for Planned Parenthood Illinois (PPIL) — and though she's based in a state noted as an abortion safe haven next to its neighbors, she said there's plenty of advocacy work still needed. Hawkins said PPIL is currently following a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that could determine how mifepristone, the only drug approved for pregnancy termination, is delivered and distributed.
"If mifepristone gets pulled from the market, we will be ready to look at other alternatives to still be able to provide medication abortion as needed," Hawkins said.
Hawkins also said the group is looking for other options after a decision from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul put a permanent stop to enforcement of a law targeting crisis pregnancy centers.The now-nullified law would have banned clinics that offer pregnancy testing and services aside from abortions, abortion referrals or emergency contraception from using “deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, or misrepresentation” to prevent a client from seeking a different clinic that does offer abortions.
"Obviously we were disappointed because we worked very hard to pass that bill and we had an agreement with the attorney general — and for strategic reasons, he decided to settle that lawsuit," Hawkins said. "I think the fight against crisis pregnancy centers continues and we have a very dedicated ally who is dealing with this issue and is looking for ways to make sure those pregnancy centers are exposed for their deceptive practices. We're in a position of regrouping and trying to find another way to do that."
A failed resolution aimed at limiting immigration in McLean Countyalso caught Hawkins' attention in recent months: Hawkins told attendees it mirrored a similar effort playing out in the fight over access to abortion, with at least two Illinois municipalities — Quincy and Danville — attempting to pass resolutions declaring themselves as "sanctuary cities for the unborn." Those measures passed in Danville but failed in Quincy last year.
Both communities sit near state borders, with Quincy close to the Iowa border and Danville next to Indiana, two states with stricter abortion provisions that Illinois. TheAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Illinois issued statements saying such resolutions are not lawful and have no bearing on whether abortions can be sought or provided in a given Illinois municipality, but Hawkins said the underlying intent is to convey "the community does not want you."
"This fight is now going to the local level — your city councils, your county boards. I think we're seeing some of it with school boards," she said. "The opposition is looking for ways to influence elected leaders who have never had to take a position on this in the past to now take a position."
And while protections for abortion access and gender-affirming care have been codified into state law, Hawkins said abortion issues remain key election talking points. She pointed to a changed climate within the typically Republican county of DuPage near Chicago: A Republican candidate and local township supervisor seeking a statehouse seat has adopted a moderate stance on abortion despite being part of a party that does not support it.
Dennis Reboletti is facing a pro-choice Democrat in the race; he has said he would support allowing voters to address the issue via a constitutional amendment on abortion rights.
"Access to abortion is a clear, dividing line between candidates. And because you're able to make that distinction, people choose the candidates that are on the side of reproductive rights over and over and over," said Hawkins.
Hawkins added the 17 Planned Parenthood centers in Illinois have seen a significant increase in visits since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in 2022. The most recent data available online showed a patient base of nearly 61,000 people from 2021-2022. In addition to abortion services, PPIL provides birth control and other family planning support, tests for sexually transmitted infections, cancer screenings and gender-affirming health care.
