Last updated on December 19, 2025
Illinois is characterized as a protective state by the Guttmacher Institute.
Abortion is protected up to fetal viability. Illinois has a shield law protecting abortion providers from investigations or prosecution by other states.
In the US, people who are not white and people with low incomes are more likely to experience barriers to reproductive health care access.
IN THIS STATE
As of 2023, 2.6 million women1 are of reproductive age in Illinois.
- 11.3 percent are low income (similar to the national average)
- 15.7 percent are likely eligible for Medicaid because their income is at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (lower than the national average)
- 46.9 percent are nonwhite (similar to the national average), and Hispanic people (21.4 percent; similar to the national average) and Black people (14.3 percent; higher than the national average) are the largest nonwhite groups
- 8.0 percent are uninsured (lower than the national average)
Illinois has expanded Medicaid and thus provides coverage to adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) and pregnant women up to 213 percent of FPL. Illinois has extended pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage up to 12 months postpartum. Illinois is using state funds to cover abortion for Medicaid beneficiaries. The state does cover family planning services for people not otherwise eligible for Medicaid with incomes up to 213 percent of FPL.
Accessing Abortion Care
In 2020, 30 clinics provided abortions in Illinois. In 2025, 36 clinics provided abortions. This number does not include hospitals or telehealth providers.
Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are organizations—often operated by antiabortion, nonmedical, and/or religiously affiliated groups—that aim to deter pregnant people from certain reproductive health care services, including abortion and some contraceptive methods. In 2023, there were 104 CPCs in Illinois.
Illinois does not have any of the following patient restrictions on abortion access:
Illinois does not have any of the following abortion provider restrictions:
Accessing Contraceptive Care
According to Power to Decide, around 780,000 women of reproductive age in Illinois live in contraceptive deserts, putting them at increased risk of a mistimed or unintended pregnancy.
Illinois has the following protections for contraception access:
What to Watch For
In 2019, the Illinois legislature passed the Reproductive Health Act, which protects “the fundamental right of an individual who becomes pregnant to continue the pregnancy and give birth to a child, or to have an abortion.” In August 2024, Governor Pritzker signed three abortion-related bills into law, codifying the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, expanding the state’s shield laws, and incorporating reproductive health care decisions into the Illinois Human Rights Act.
In August 2025, the Governor signed two bills related to contraception and abortion into law. House Bill 3637 expands the state shield law to all health care providers, including licensed Certified Professional Midwives and wholesale drug distributors, and allows providers to prescribe medications deemed safe and effective by the World Health Organization, even if US Food and Drug Administration approvals are revoked. House Bill 3709 requires public colleges and universities to offer contraception and medication abortion if they have an on-campus pharmacy or student health center.
1 Though we use the terminology of woman/women, we recognize that not all individuals capable of pregnancy identify as women.
