Statement in response to Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
For Immediate Release: June 24, 2022
Media Contact:
Mary Jane Maharry
[email protected]
773-490-6046
Statement attributed to Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action:
Planned Parenthood Illinois Action is outraged the Supreme Court has discarded 50 years of precedent and stripped away the constitutional right to abortion, robbing people of their power to control their bodies, their lives, and their futures for generations to come. It is shameful that the Court is ignoring the majority of people in this country who believe that abortion should remain safe and legal.
Let me be clear, in Illinois abortion is and will remain legal. We expect every state that borders Illinois to quickly move to ban or severely restrict abortion access. Tens of thousands of people are now facing a terrible dilema; flee to a state like Illinois to get an abortion, carry a pregnancy against their will or seek an illegal means to end their pregnancy. This ruling is especially cruel to communities that already face tremendous barriers to health care; people living in poverty, Black and Latino communities, immigrants, young people, people with disabilities and other marginalized groups.
The doors are open at all 17 Planned Parenthood of Illinois health centers, as they continue to expand abortion access to patients, regardless of where they are forced to travel from.