After a new federal law cut Medicaid funding for most abortion providers, Planned Parenthood of Illinois warns nearly 30,000 low-income patients could lose care. Critics say abortions won’t stop–they’ll just shift to the mailbox.
David Smith, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute, said Planned Parenthood has already closed down a couple of its clinics in Illinois in anticipation of losing federal funds.
Cristina Villarreal of Planned Parenthood Illinois said 40% of PPIL’s patients rely on it for services like birth control, STI treatment, prenatal care and more. Smith said the abortion industry is not slowing down–it’s shifting more to abortion pills, which he warned are often taken without medical supervision, especially later in pregnancy, posing serious risks.
PPIL said it remains optimistic that a lawsuit filed by its national affiliate, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, will eventually allow it to resume billing Medicaid for family planning services.
Story from Illinois Radio Network
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