In 2016 there were 38,382 abortions, down from 39,856 in 2015. The greatest decline came from abortions on high school age girls moving into college, decreasing by 408 abortions (11.9%) on girls ages 15 through 19. That's the lowest number in Illinois since 1973 - the year the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortions.
Abortions also declined in the two counties that historically have the highest rate of abortions: Cook County and Dupage County. In these counties, abortions declined 5% and 5.9 % respectively.
However, the health department shows that even though abortions decreased overall, abortions increased on minor girls aged 0-14 by 26.8%. Abortions on women traveling from out of state also increased by 41.5%.
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