by Elizabeth Walsh
After Roe v Wade was overturned on June 24, 2022, reproductive rights have been attacked in states all over the nation. Despite bans or restrictions across numerous states, Illinois has remained strong when it comes to protecting a woman’s right to choose for both Illinois residents and women who need to flee their states to receive healthcare. However, with the race for both governor and attorney general coming up this November, there is a looming question: depending on the results of these elections, could Illinois be the next state to restrict reproductive freedom?
Ever since Roe was overturned, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has been a champion for protecting reproductive rights in the state of Illinois since taking office in 2019. For example, in August 2025, Pritzker signed House Bill 3637 and House Bill 3709 into law. After the federal government attempted to restrict mifepristone access, HB 3637 was able to protect this healthcare and ensure Illinois healthcare providers would continue to prescribe this medication as well as other drugs if the World Health Organization still considers them effective, even if FDA approval is revoked. In addition, HB 3709 ensures that health centers in public colleges and universities across Illinois provide their students with birth control and abortion medication, protecting the futures and bodily autonomy of young students. On the four-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision, JB Pritzker signed the Reproductive Health and Privacy Act into law, which will take effect in July 2027. The purpose of this bill is to prevent information about abortion or gender-affirming care from being shared outside of the state without patient consent and protect patient privacy. This bill is huge for abortion seekers that come from out of state to seek abortion care in Illinois, which is really important since almost one-fourth of out-of-state abortion seekers—32,000 out of 142,000 in 2025—come to Illinois. This law aims to prevent patients from being prosecuted for seeking reproductive healthcare. Unfortunately, many women need to travel out-of-state to receive care due to restrictive abortion laws in their states, so this law protects their privacy when seeking reproductive care.
However, unlike Pritzker, Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is not so committed to protecting women’s rights and freedoms. He famously compared abortion to the Holocaust, saying, “The attempted extermination of the Jews of World War II doesn’t even compare on a shadow of the life that has been lost with abortion since its legalization.” He has recently doubled down on that statement, saying that the Jewish community told him he was right. In response, the director of government affairs at the Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois, disputed, saying he does not share Bailey’s position on the issue. Bailey has made even more anti-abortion comments, including stating that he does not support abortion even in cases of rape or incest. Bailey’s misogyny stretches beyond abortion as the school curriculum he founded teaches children women joining the workforce was dangerous, meaning putting him in the Governor’s Mansion could heavily impact the women of Illinois is negative ways, especially since he could move to ban abortion in Illinois since the right to choose is no longer protected at the federal level. Although Bailey could not ban abortion alone, the thought of having an anti-abortion governor makes many women uneasy. Pritzker warns that if Illinois were to elect this Bailey, abortion could possibly be banned in the state of Illinois.
In addition to the governor’s mansion, the attorney general’s seat is also up for grabs this year. The race is between incumbent Democrat Kwame Raoul and Republican Bob Fioretti. The attorney general plays an important role when it comes to protecting reproductive rights when defending, enforcing, and interpreting healthcare laws. For example, the attorney general represents the people of the state against federal abuses and brings lawsuits against policies that violate the rights of Illinoisans, which is critical for abortion rights given the current state of our federal government. They decide how to defend state laws, like the Reproductive Health and Privacy Act discussed above, if they are challenged. The results of the Attorney General’s election will determine if and how reproductive rights are protected in Illinois. Raoul is endorsed by major organizations, like Planned Parenthood, that work to protect reproductive rights. He has defined protecting reproductive care and patient privacy as one of his top concerns, and his office contributed to the drafting an enactment of the Illinois Patient and Provider Protection Act, which prevents criminal punishment for abortion-seeking patients and healthcare providers. Fioretti, on the other hand, is less focused on the expansion of reproductive care, which may be dangerous to abortion rights in Illinois. His campaign is more focused on crime and support for law enforcement, and he has not often discussed whether or not he would protect abortion rights if elected.
The thought of abortion being restricted in Illinois is terrifying to women all over the nation. After abortion was banned in Texas, the maternal mortality rate has risen 56%. Numerous women across the United States have been arrested for “pregnancy related crimes.” In addition, infant mortality has risen in states with restricted abortion. Numerous women have died from being denied abortion or miscarriage care from their healthcare providers out of fear of losing their license. These consequences are not only terrifying to Illinoisans but to all of the women who rely on Illinois to provide healthcare. Every vote cast to a Republican candidate is a risk to the reproductive care of Illinois women. With so much at stake, many believe the only way to ensure the protection of reproductive rights is to vote for Democrats up and down the ballot.
