ILLINOIS — Planned Parenthood Illinois (PPIL) has seen a major spike in Wisconsin patients since Roe v. Wade was overturned nearly four months ago, according to NBC affiliate WMAQ.
When Roe v. Wade was overturned, Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban went into effect, which has been the center of debate among candidates in the upcoming election.
Because abortions remain legal in Illinois, many Wisconsin women have been traveling there to receive the procedure.
WMAQ spoke with PPIL's Chief Strategy and Operations Officer Kristen Schultz, who said that the number of Wisconsin patients has increased tenfold since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
To manage the increase in Wisconsin patients, PPIL built a health center in Waukegan just near the Wisconsin border. The organization also announced a partnership with Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, which involves Wisconsin care providers traveling to Illinois a few days a week to expand care at the Waukegan facility.
It's not just an increase in Wisconsinites though. PPIL said the number of patients from Kentucky is 18-times higher. Four times as many patients have been coming from Texas, and twice as many from Indiana.
Typically, PPIL said it sees patients from 10-15 different states each month. However, by August, the organization said it has seen patients from 28 different states.
With these increases, PPIL said the percentage of patients from out of state has spiked to 30%. In 2020, that number was 21%.
"We are getting calls from patients from out of state trying to figure out how they will get to us and how they will find childcare for their kids and how they will manage the expense of travel, and we help them with that and connect them with other additional resources," Schulz told WMAQ.
Alongside the increase of patients, there has been an increase in volunteers at PPIL. Since the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, more than 1,700 people have applied to volunteer with Planned Parenthood of Illinois.
