SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Gov. JB Pritzker signed two bills into law Friday to expand access to reproductive healthcare in Illinois. The laws will protect medical professionals and make contraception and medication abortion available on college campuses.
Pritzker said doctors in many states are afraid to provide lifesaving care to pregnant women for fear of being indicted. He believes women should not be forced to drive hours and spend thousands of dollars to receive reproductive healthcare.
"Fundamental rights and freedoms that generations of women have fought for, marched for and protested for have already been destroyed in half the country," Pritzker said. "The MAGA Trump bootlickers are now coming after the other half."
Illinois will soon shield healthcare providers from being punished for prescribing medication abortion if President Donald Trump revokes FDA approval for the drugs.
Sponsors said the Trump administration presents a national threat to reproductive healthcare access, and Illinois needs laws in place to keep patients and providers safe. Medication abortion will be protected under state laws as long as it is approved for use by the World Health Organization.
"We have to stop this fort of breaking down all the safety mechanisms we have around abortion," said Rep. Bill Hauter (R-Morton). "There has to be some safety mechanisms, whether it be in the abortion clinic or it would be with abortion medications."
The measure will apply regardless of whether or not a patient is an Illinois resident.
A separate law will allow medication abortion and contraceptives to be provided on public university and community college campuses with health centers.
The legislation requires campus healthcare professionals to discuss contraception and abortion options with students before sending prescriptions to campus pharmacies. It also states that these services can be provided through in-person appointments, telehealth, or other licensed providers.
"In Illinois, we know that we get to decide what to do with our own bodies," said Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago). "We get to decide what choices that we get to make for ourselves."
This legislation also calls on each college campus with student health services to publicize information online on how students can access medication abortion or contraception on campus. Students will be able to pay out-of-pocket or use their health insurance to receive reproductive healthcare.
Pritzker and Democratic leaders celebrated the efforts of several University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students and recent graduates who provided a student referendum in 2024 regarding access to medication abortion pills on campus. Their referendum received 4,743 votes in affirmation of the question, with an 80% active approval rate from students.
"We wrote student policy as students and for students, so to be able to contribute to the passage of state law as our last act of love for our peers has really been so rewarding," said UIUC graduate Emma Darbo. "I hope all of us being here today in part because of a referendum that was written on a college apartment floor by two girls with a Google Doc and a dream reminds the young people of Illinois that you don't ever have to wait for someone to care as much as you do."
The college campus reproductive healthcare expansion took effect immediately. Meanwhile, the medication abortion protection law will take effect Jan. 1. Both plans passed out of the House and Senate on partisan votes.
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