This article originally appeared in the July 6th, 2019 edition of the Peoria Journal Star.
As of June 2, 2019, after nearly four decades, there is no longer a clinic offering abortion services in Peoria. While it had existed under various names, the most recent iteration of the clinic was operated by Whole Woman’s Health (WWH) for the last four years.
But a mere four days before the clinic’s closure, the staff (some who had been there since the 1980s) found themselves out of a job when President & CEO of WWH Amy Hogstrom Miller announced the closure of the Peoria Clinic.
WWH’s claim is they are unable to bring in enough funds to cover the costs of the abortion procedures. For many pro-choice activists throughout central Illinois that have spent years protecting the clinic and its patients from anti-choice terrorists, this is a surprising statement to make. In 2017, then–Gov. Rauner signed into law a bill expanding abortion coverage to Illinois residents who qualify for Medicaid.1 Just this year, Gov. Pritzker signed another bill requiring all Illinois health insurance providers to cover abortion procedures. Furthermore, there are a plethora of different funds, like the Chicago Abortion Fund, which privately gather money to cover abortions. Literally what more has to be done before WWH can cover its costs?
We may never know. If WWH truly must leave, then so be it. Surely the location, building, and medical equipment can be used by another provider. Yet, according to a former employee who asked to remain anonymous, WWH has ignored calls from groups interested in reopening the clinic. As activists who fight for reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, we must hold Whole Women’s Health accountable to the community they claim to have been honored to work in. WWH has a duty to make any transition that allows the clinic to reopen as seamless as possible.
The right to abortion, a fundamental right to bodily sovereignty, is in a perilous position in the United States right now. Complacency has allowed the anti-choice zealots to pass dangerous anti-abortion legislation in multiple states and gain a majority on the Supreme Court. And despite Illinois’ extremely pro-choice policies, those policies are worthless if there are no providers for patients to access. Activists must do everything they can to return the clinic to full operation.
