Health

Texas Democrats Join Planned Parenthood Leaders to Highlight Illinois’ Role in Providing Abortion Care for Out-of-State Patients

Texas Democrats gathered with Planned Parenthood affiliate leaders Wednesday in Chicago to highlight Illinois’ role in providing reproductive care for Texas patients and to warn how the dismantling of sexual and reproductive care in Texas threatens access in other states.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois began seeing patients from Texas in 2021, when the state passed a law banning abortion, a year before Roe v. Wade was overturned, said Tonya Tucker, interim President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, during a news conference.

“I am so appreciative of Planned Parenthood Illinois for providing the care that women need, but we have to be clear, you should not have to leave a state – you should not have to escape a state – to get the care that you need to save your life,” said Texas state Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons, who represents parts of Houston.

“What happens in Texas does not stay in Texas, and we are the canary in the coal mine,” Simmons added.

Shellie Hayes-McMahon, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Texas, which is the advocacy arm for Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas, said the state’s attacks on the organization serve as a blueprint for lawmakers in other states to restrict access to sexual and reproductive care.

“In Texas, we have lived through what happens when lawmakers make it their mission to dismantle reproductive care,” Hayes-McMahon said. “We don’t have to imagine what happens when Planned Parenthood is defunded, or when the worst anti-abortion bills turn into laws, because we have the proof.”

Texas previously removed Planned Parenthood from the state’s family planning program, “Healthy Texas Women,” in 2013, and removed the reproductive health care provider out of its Medicaid program in 2021, according to Hayes-McMahon.

In Illinois, Planned Parenthood is at risk of losing $4 million in reimbursements for gender affirming care and family planning services following federal cuts to Medicaid, according to Tucker. The Medicaid cuts would disproportionately affect those already facing barriers to care such as people who live in rural areas, people living in poverty, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, young people and students.

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Illinois has served more out-of-state abortion patients than any other state.

“This influx is stretching our system to its limits,” Tucker said. “Patients who travel here often need more financial assistance. They face bigger barriers.”

Dr. Katie Sisco, interim chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood of Illinois, described a recent case in which staff assisted a Texas patient seeking abortion by helping figure out lodging, child care and travel arrangements. Even after a procedure, Sisco described out-of-state patients experiencing shame and stigma, worrying about their medical record and if they will face penalties and repercussions for seeking health care in Illinois.

“It saddens me to see my patients struggle with such unnecessary challenges, especially when their home state is sending a message that what they’re doing is wrong for simply accessing basic health care,” Sisco said. “Abortion is health care.”

Dozens of Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives are in their second week of having fled the state – to Illinois, Massachusetts, California and New York – to stop the Republican-controlled state legislature from passing new U.S. House maps that would give Texas Republicans more winnable seats in 2026.

GOP leaders in Texas have put pressure on Texas Democrats to return by asking courts to remove absent Democratic lawmakers from office, issuing civil arrest warrants and mobilizing state troopers.

“We know the risks,” Texas state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, who represents parts of Houston, told reporters on Wednesday. “We know the dangers; we signed up for this.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]

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