Here & Now

Illinois, Wisconsin and Out-of-State Abortions

Frederica Freyberg:

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin suspended its abortion services immediately upon the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The provider has patient navigators to help people find out-of-state options, like those across the border in Illinois, where abortion remains legal. We check in with Julie Uhal of Planned Parenthood of Illinois who manages its ‘securing access for everyone’ program. Thanks so much for being here.

Julie Uhal:

Thank you for having me on today.

Frederica Freyberg:

What kind of influx of women seeking abortions has Planned Parenthood of Illinois seen from bordering states like Wisconsin?

Julie Uhal:

Thanks for asking that. We’ve preparing for this moment for a really long time. And projections have shown that we’re anticipating to see up to 20 to 30,000 additional abortion patients from our neighboring states annually now that Roe has been overturned. It will take a long time to see exact numbers and trends. It’s only been a week. It feels like five years since the decision came down. But I can share that our call volume doubled on Friday and Saturday following that decision, including from Wisconsin patients who like you said may have been at the clinic for an appointment last Friday and were forced to reschedule that and it created a lot of chaos and confusion.

Frederica Freyberg:

Indeed. You’re Securing Access For Everyone or SAFE program. Did you stand this up just for this eventuality or has it been long standing?

Julie Uhal:

It was for this eventuality. We’ve seen the writing on the walls for years now, knowing that you know, far right conservatives have been planning to overturn abortion access in this country. So the program officially started in 2019.

Frederica Freyberg:

So Planned Parenthood has patient navigators to help with out-of-state abortion care. How does that work exactly?

Julie Uhal:

So a patient navigator is kind of like a case manager, kind of like the travel agent and their job is specifically to work with patients who face logistical barriers to access abortion care. And as you can imagine, that’s going to become more complicated and more difficult as they’re forced to travel further. So it depends, patient by patient, what sort of assistance they need. Sometimes it’s just a subsidy. Sometimes it’s hotel. Sometimes it’s travel, childcare, food vouchers, gas voucher. We really try to meet the patient where they are and assist with any of those needs they might be facing.

Frederica Freyberg:

I read that antiabortion groups are drafting model legislation to allow private citizens to sue anyone who helps a resident of a state that bans abortion from terminating a pregnancy out of state. What’s your reaction to that?

Julie Uhal:

Im disappointed but not surprised. I think that they have been testing every outlet they can in order to criminalize folks for accessing that healthcare that they need. But you know, we’re not going to stop and we’re committed to helping people access that care however we can.

Frederica Freyberg:

How is safety ensured for women who might travel from their home states for an abortion procedure?

Julie Uhal:

So I just want to emphasize that abortion is safe and effective. It is certainly safer than pregnancy or childbirth is. The medication abortion pill specifically has a lower rate of adverse side effects than Tylenol does. The reality is any safety concerns come from the very vulnerable situations people will be put in when they’re facing criminalization to cross state lines for healthcare, but we take every step that we can in order to educate our patients about those risks and make sure that their confidentiality and privacy is protected.

Frederica Freyberg:

If someone traveled from Wisconsin to Illinois for example and had their pregnancy terminated, do they stay in place for a period of time to be monitored — you’re saying it’s extremely safe, right. But is there kind of a period of time where they stay in place?

Julie Uhal:

Depending on whether they’re seeking a medication or in clinic abortion, yeah, they will be at the clinic to be monitored for any immediate health concerns associated with that. But otherwise, our centralized follow up program is always reachable by phone or online.

Frederica Freyberg:

So lastly, is your Planned Parenthood hiring clinicians from places like Wisconsin to assist with this influx of patients?

Julie Uhal:

I can’t share any specifics about the operational things we’re working on but I will say that this response to this public health crisis is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. So we’re working really closely with all of our partners around the Midwest region to ensure that patients have access to the care they need no matter where they’re coming from and there will be more to come there.

Frederica Freyberg:

Is it accurate that there’s a Planned Parenthood just across the border in South Beloit, Illinois?

Julie Uhal:

Im not familiar — if there is, it’s not a PPIL clinic. Our clinic that’s closest to the Wisconsin border is in Waukegan.

Frederica Freyberg:

Julie Uhal from Planned Parenthood of Illinois, thanks so much.

Julie Uhal:

Thanks for having me.