Illinois to Spend Millions in Support of Abortion

Gov. JB Pritzker (D)

On July 31, Illinois announced approximately $23 million in taxpayer funding to support pro-abortion initiatives. These include two abortion hotlines and a "family-planning" program for Medicaid.

$10 million in total from the Illinois Department of Public Health will fund the creation of the "Reproductive Health Public Navigation Hotline." This hotline will direct women to abortion businesses in Illinois. In a press release, the administration emphasized the hotline was deemed necessary to facilitate abortions for out-of-state mothers.

Another $5 million will be directed to the Complex Abortion Regional Line for Access (CARLA). This hotline will be run by the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Rush University System for Health, and the Chicago Abortion Fund. According to the press release, this hotline is intended for "patients who present for abortions at clinics who need a higher level of care than can be provided at the clinics." The hotline will help patients arrange appointments within hospital systems.

It should be noted that abortion is never medically necessary to save a mother. If a mother's life is in danger, emergency premature delivery is a fast and effective alternative to end pregnancy without intentionally killing an unborn child.

Illinois also announced a new "family-planning" program for Medicaid that will cover abortion. Further, it will offer coverage for "family planning services" to people who are otherwise ineligible for Medicaid because they exceed Medicaid's income threshold. Illinois's Medicaid funding now clearly prioritizes "family planning services" over most healthcare.

The new Illinois Reproductive Health Facilities Capital Grant Program directs $5 million toward abortion businesses. These grants will fund building improvements, repairs, new construction, security upgrades, and other equipment (including the purchase of vehicles for "mobile care units").

NPR Illinois also reported that the state's spending plan includes $8 million for “reproductive health care providers and a specialty consultation program for at-risk patients.”

Finally, Illinois announced that it will cover the travel expenses and lodging of state employees and dependents who live in pro-life states.

In a press conference touting the new pro-abortion initiatives, Gov. J.B. Pritzker hinted that his administration could announce even more in the future.