(CAPITOL CITY NOW) – For years, Gov. JB Pritzker has presented himself as an advocate for legal abortions. His latest step toward “reproductive health care” is the Prairie State Access Fund, which he described as a philanthropic public-private partnership at its rollout in Chicago Wednesday.
“We have witnessed an all-out assault on abortion and gender-affirming care led by the Trump administration and carried out in, well, too many states across the country,” said the governor. “They’ve closed clinics, they’ve criminalized life-saving care, and endangered the lives of women.
“Illinois will not let that happen. We will not let that happen.”
“Typically, philanthropy seeds innovation, and government follows,” said Ameya Pawar, president and CEO of the Michael Reese Health Trust, host of the announcement. “In this case, Illinois is already leading. State government has been leading. And the state has invested and continues to invest. That is why people come here, and that is why our providers have built systems capable of meeting extraordinary sustained demand.”
Illinois abortion providers treat 23 percent of American women who cross state lines to get one.
