However, Planned Parenthood of Illinois is downsizing, and recently shut down four of its facilities in Illinois — in Bloomington, Englewood (Chicago), Decatur, and Ottawa. Thirteen of its facilities remain in the state.

3/25/25: An Illinois bill that would require public colleges and universities to stock the abortion pill and contraceptives has passed the House Higher Education Committee on a partisan 7-4 vote and is now headed to the House floor for consideration.

House Bill 3709 would make abortion pills available to college students after they receive either an in-person or telehealth appointment.  While the bill initially included the requirement that the college have a referral agreement in place with a “tertiary care facility with obstetrics and gynecological services in the event of complication,” lawmakers passed an amendment removing that requirement, thereby making an already-dangerous bill more dangerous by eliminating a safeguard that would have assisted women in getting help if they need it.

The abortion pill regimen comes with numerous complications and has been found to be four times more dangerous than a first-trimester surgical abortion. Side effects may include severe cramping, contractions, and heavy bleeding, as well as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and headaches. One recent study found that women were overwhelmingly unprepared for just how painful the chemical abortion process would be.

READ: Man in custody for killing his pregnant teenage girlfriend who refused abortion

Young women who undergo the abortion pill process on campus often must do so alone in a dorm room, potentially passing the remains of their preborn children in the toilet stalls of shared bathrooms. Because many students live on-campus without a car, it can be difficult to access additional emergency treatment if needed — another study found that approximately 6% of women experienced complications severe enough to require an emergency room or urgent care visit.

Just last year, the director of the McKinley Student Health Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign announced that the university would not be stocking the abortion pill on campus because it was ill-equipped to offer abortions.

“Unfortunately, currently, McKinley does not have the expertise in-house to provide abortion services,” Awais Vaid, Executive Health Director at McKinley Health Center, told Illinois Public Media, citing the fact that there were abortion facilities located nearby off-campus.

However, he noted that were legislation to change, the campus would have to find a way to comply.

“In the future, the governor can make a directive even in Illinois to have [abortion pills] available and at that point, we will have to reconsider how we work this out,” he said.

According to WAND News, bill sponsor Rep. Anna Moeller has said its passage is a “top priority” for Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration.

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3/25/25: An Illinois bill that would require public colleges and universities to stock the abortion pill and contraceptives has passed the House Higher Education Committee on a partisan 7-4 vote and is now headed to the House floor for consideration.

House Bill 3709 would make abortion pills available to college students after they receive either an in-person or telehealth appointment.  While the bill initially included the requirement that the college have a referral agreement in place with a “tertiary care facility with obstetrics and gynecological services in the event of complication,” lawmakers passed an amendment removing that requirement, thereby making an already-dangerous bill more dangerous by eliminating a safeguard that would have assisted women in getting help if they need it.

The abortion pill regimen comes with numerous complications and has been found to be four times more dangerous than a first-trimester surgical abortion. Side effects may include severe cramping, contractions, and heavy bleeding, as well as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and headaches. One recent study found that women were overwhelmingly unprepared for just how painful the chemical abortion process would be.

READ: Man in custody for killing his pregnant teenage girlfriend who refused abortion

Young women who undergo the abortion pill process on campus often must do so alone in a dorm room, potentially passing the remains of their preborn children in the toilet stalls of shared bathrooms. Because many students live on-campus without a car, it can be difficult to access additional emergency treatment if needed — another study found that approximately 6% of women experienced complications severe enough to require an emergency room or urgent care visit.

Just last year, the director of the McKinley Student Health Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign announced that the university would not be stocking the abortion pill on campus because it was ill-equipped to offer abortions.

“Unfortunately, currently, McKinley does not have the expertise in-house to provide abortion services,” Awais Vaid, Executive Health Director at McKinley Health Center, told Illinois Public Media, citing the fact that there were abortion facilities located nearby off-campus.

However, he noted that were legislation to change, the campus would have to find a way to comply.

“In the future, the governor can make a directive even in Illinois to have [abortion pills] available and at that point, we will have to reconsider how we work this out,” he said.

According to WAND News, bill sponsor Rep. Anna Moeller has said its passage is a “top priority” for Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration.