Medicaid-funded abortions on rise in Illinois
Springfield, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — Since Governor Bruce Rauner signed House Bill 40 into law, abortion numbers have risen in Illinois.
House Bill 40 means Illinois Medicaid now covers women who elect to have an abortion, doing away with old requirements of rape, incest or risk to the mother's health.
"We believe no matter where she lives, no matter what kind of health care coverage she has, that she has comprehensive coverage for pregnancy related care,” said Brigid Leahy, senior director of public policy at Planned Parenthood of Illinois.
According to the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services, there were 84 Medicaid covered abortions between January and June of 2017. In 2018, that number has risen to at least 314 abortions for 2018. Those number for 2018 could still go up, because Medicaid has 90 days to file for reimbursements.
"Seeing abortions rise tells us that people are put in distress to the point that they have to make a decision that results in the death of a child,” President of Springfield Right to Life Tim Moore said.
In the same three-month span, so far more than $24,000 taxpayer dollars have gone towards these abortions in Illinois, compared to almost $15,000 last year.
"We believed that that program was unnecessarily denying healthcare to women and that politicians shouldn't be making Medicaid part of their anti-abortion political agenda,” Leahy said.
There are currently 17 Planned Parenthood clinics in Illinois. In-clinic abortion services are offered at these PPIL locations: Aurora, Flossmoor, Near North, Roseland and Springfield.
"For right now, I'd like to see some movement in the legislature, right now all of our leaders who are running for office, stand up for life stand up for women, stand up for unborn women,” Moore said.
Illinois’ current abortion law prohibits abortion after viability, except to protect the life or health of the woman.
