September 05, 2024

Duckworth Visits The Chicago Abortion Fund, Underscores Importance of Restoring Reproductive Freedom for All

 

[CHICAGO, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today visited the Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF) office to meet with the Fund’s leadership team, tour their new facility and discuss how their day-to-day operations have changed in a post-Dobbs America. Duckworth met with the Fund’s Deputy Director Qudsiyyah Shariyf and staff to thank them for their service and share her support for ensuring women everywhere can access safe and necessary health care. Photos from today’s visit can be found on the Senator’s website.

“The work of Chicago Abortion Fund has been a lifeline to Illinoisans for years—but as neighboring red states continue to ban abortion as a result of the Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs decision the importance of this new office, and the work they do, will only continue to grow,” Duckworth said. “I’m thankful to the incredible staff and volunteers at the Chicago Abortion Fund who help ensure Illinois remains a safe haven for all women seeking the reproductive care they need. And I won’t stop working to enshrine Roe v. Wade protections into law to ensure reproductive freedoms are protected for all women in every state.”

The Chicago Abortion Fund is a statewide fund dedicated to removing barriers to abortion care in Illinois, the Midwest and beyond. CAF pays for procedure funding, covers travel and related needs, offers emotional support and provides logistical expertise so that women can access the abortion care they need and deserve.

Duckworth recently joined U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in releasing a study to show the harsh reality patients are facing in Wisconsin—a direct neighboring state of Illinois—when seeking access to abortion care. Prior to the Dobbs decision, only 16%, or one in six, of Wisconsin abortion patients received out-of-state care. In 2023, that number was up to 88%, meaning that nine out of ten patients had to seek out-of-state care. Specifically, a total of 5,230 Wisconsin patients received reproductive care in Illinois in 2023. Since the Dobbs decision, CAF has helped over 2,000 Wisconsinites seek care and distributed over $7.5 million overall for appointment costs and wrap-around support like hotels, transportation and child care.

Throughout her time in the Senate, Duckworth has made protecting reproductive freedom in the face of Republicans’ anti-choice crusade a top priority. Last year, Duckworth and U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) re-introduced the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act, a bicameral bill that would help guarantee abortion coverage—without restrictions—for millions of Americans. The EACH Act ends the Hyde Amendment and lifts unjust abortion coverage restrictions for those who depend on Medicaid and other government-sponsored plans or programs. Recent polling data also show that 62% of voters support lifting federal abortion coverage restrictions and believe Medicaid should cover abortion. In a post-Dobbs America, this legislation would help protect the right to abortion and ensure everyone can get the reproductive health care they need.

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