Illinois e-News Release

Chicago—Governor JB Pritzker today announced he will join the Reproductive Freedom Alliance (RFA), a non-partisan group of state Governors focused on working alongside one another to identify best practices for legislative and executive action to protect reproductive rights. The RFA will work in partnership with The Raben Group to facilitate conversations and share information on successes and risks in the fight for reproductive justice.

“As Illinois remains a beacon for reproductive healthcare in a region increasingly plagued by inhumane restrictions, I’m proud to join my fellow Governors to help fulfill the promise I made when Roe v. Wade was overturned: we will not go backwards,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. “That’s why I’ve committed to expanding funding for reproductive healthcare in my proposed FY24 budget and why I recently signed legislation protecting the rights of providers across Illinois, and why I’ll continue to work with partners in Illinois and across the country to protect these important rights.”

Twenty states representing over 167 million Americans have signed on to the Alliance. Members of the RFA will share strategies on advancing legislative and executive action to protect reproductive rights. 11 states have full bans on abortion in place, and many more have restrictions to access that can prevent patients receiving care. Illinois is one of the only states in the Midwest to have maintained protection for abortion services since the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year.

Governor Pritzker has made protection of reproductive rights a priority throughout his time in office. In 2019, the Governor signed the Reproductive Health Act, repealing anti-abortion legislation and expanding insurance coverage for reproductive health services. The Governor has also increased Title X funding to cover for federal deficits during the Trump administration and to allow providers to better care for an influx of out-of-state patients seeking care after the repeal of Roe v. Wade.

Recently, the Governor signed an omnibus reproductive rights bill that protects abortion and gender-affirming care providers from legal attacks by anti-choice states and broadens provider permissions to allow more healthcare professionals to offer reproductive care. Governor Pritzker’s proposed FY24 budget includes $18 million for a reproductive health care navigation hotline, collaborative learning systems for providers, specialty programs for high-risk patients, and increased primary care training.

The states who have signed on to the Alliance include: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.