Illinois House approves increased abortion protection

CHICAGO (AP) — The Illinois House of Representatives voted Friday to shore up the state’s already-expansive reproductive rights and shield the influx of out-of-state patients seeking abortions in Illinois after the fall of Roe v. Wade.

The proposal “tries to put additional bricks in the wall around Illinois so that we aren’t subject to attacks in our state from outside forces,” said Ameri Klafeta, director of the Women’s and Reproductive Rights Project for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.

The bill, now headed to the Senate, would prevent the governor from surrendering a person charged by another state if the offenses are based on providing or receiving health care that is lawful in Illinois, even if it is illegal in the other state.

The Senate must approve the measure before it would be sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat. Pritzker said the bill, sponsored by Chicago Democratic Rep. Kelly Cassidy, provides “critical reproductive health protections” that he looks forward to signing into law “as soon as possible.”

It also would offer protection for providers of gender-affirming health care such as hormonal treatment, and would allow advanced-practice registered nurses and physician assistants to perform abortion procedures that don’t require general anesthesia.

Since the Dobbs v. Jackson U.S. Supreme Court ruling left abortion rights up to the states, Planned Parenthood of Illinois has seen more out-of-state abortion patients than ever before, said the organization, which announced support for the bill Friday.

California, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut have passed similar legislation to protect abortion rights post-Roe, according to Klafeta.

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