SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (LifeSiteNews) — Illinois Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker has announced a new initiative to subsidize abortions in what is already the nation’s top state for abortion tourism.
On January 28, Pritzker announced the state was partnering with the Michael Reese Health Trust to form the Prairie State Access Fund, which will “sustain and strengthen the [so-called] reproductive health ecosystem across Illinois to ensure continued access for both residents of Illinois and those from across the country seeking” abortions and “help fortify Illinois’ status as a haven for reproductive health” (i.e., abortion-on-demand) by connecting donors with groups that offer abortion.
“The Trump Administration is leading an all-out assault on abortion and gender affirming care — but Illinois will not let that happen here. In the face of the anti-woman, anti-LGBTQ campaign being waged by extremists, Illinois has taken a leading role in protecting individual freedom and autonomy,” declared Pritzker. “The Prairie State Access Fund is an example of true public and private sector partnership in building a more connected and resourced reproductive health ecosystem.”
Michael Reese’s web page for the Fund adds that it will “regularly consult with Illinois healthcare providers, advocates, government stakeholders, and philanthropic partners to ensure funding strategies are grounded, transparent, and responsive to the broader health ecosystem”; and coordinate with “subject matter experts, peer organizations, funders, and grantee partners to ensure collective progress, avoid resource conflicts, and promote mutual respect across the sector.” They are seeking to raise $5 million by the end of 2026.
“When we are publicly asking for private donations to subsidize services for people who want to come to Illinois for an abortion … we should all think about what that really means,” responded Catholic Conference of Illinois executive director Robert Gilligan to OSV News. “Most states, many places, entice people to come to their states for: various cultural activities, the weather, many other things. And here we are, trying to provide abortion-related services, so people can end the life of their unborn child. It’s so macabre.”
“Pro-life and pro-parents’ rights Americans need to start paying attention to what’s going on in our state, because this is officially a national problem,” warned Illinois Right to Life President Mary Kate Zander. “If we don’t put a stop to the madness, we are going to be a national foothold for all sorts of reproductive atrocities and these ‘public-private partnerships’ are only the beginning.”
OSV notes that Illinois was the number-one state in America for out-of-state abortions in 2024, according to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, accounting for almost 22.6 percent of the 155,000 out-of-state abortions to occur nationwide. Out-of-state abortions accounted for 39 percent of total abortions in Illinois that year, down from 43 percent in 2023.
Yet Illinois under Pritzker has been among the most aggressive states in the Union in shoring up virtually unlimited abortion. Last June, he signed legislation to ensure abortion pills remain legal in the state even if the FDA withdraws approval, and last year he celebrated “Abortion Provider Appreciation Day” with a “thank you” to “doctors, nurses, clinic staff and volunteers” involved in abortions for their “compassion,” despite Illinois abortionists’ record of putting women in emergency rooms via botched procedures.
Last August, he signed two more laws to further aid the abortion industry, one ensuring abortion pills’ availability on college campuses and another shielding abortion providers from out-of-state prosecutions for helping facilitate abortions in pro-life states.
