(RepublicanNews.org) – Billionaire Governor J.B. Pritzker announced on July 31st that Illinois will be spending tens of millions of dollars to promote abortion tourism and other procedure-related initiatives in the state.
The Democrat’s statements were made at an event in Chicago and came one day before Indiana became the third state bordering Illinois to enact fresh restrictions on the procedure.
Pritzker claimed during the event that Missouri, Kentucky, and Indiana are “forcing” women to have “back-alley abortions” and assured attendees that access to abortion in Illinois would remain “widespread.” The governor added that Illinois would maintain its status as a “safe haven” for women seeking to terminate their pregnancies.
The state’s Department of Health is forecasting heavy traffic in the form of out-of-state abortion tourists. To deal with the influx of pregnant travelers Illinois will be spending $10 million to set up a hotline that will streamline the process and connect pregnant women with medical professionals to perform their procedures.
The system is referred to as CARLA and stands for the Complex Abortion Regional Line for Access. It will also be used as a means of increasing the number of abortions taking place at Illinois hospitals. Only 3% of statewide terminations were performed outside provider clinics prior to the hotline’s implementation.
CARLA has additionally partnered with the Chicago Abortion Fund to help pregnant women cover the cost of their procedures. Funding will also be available for transportation or childcare expenses incurred during the process.
Another $8 million in initiatives will go towards a patient consultation program and further training for abortion doctors. $5 million in grant money will also be set aside that providers will be able to apply for.
Medicaid recipients will have coverage for vasectomies, terminations, tubal ligations, and other related items as part of the state’s new plan. Additionally, Illinois will provide travel cost reimbursement to state employees and their dependents if they reside outside of Illinois but travel to the state for abortions or preventative procedures.
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