Illinois Planned Parenthood Closing Four Clinics, Citing Financial Trouble
Illinois is one of just a few abortion havens for the Midwest and South. Meanwhile, Oakland, California, is now home to the largest Planned Parenthood in the U.S.; Michigan's governor signs legislation allowing pharmacists to prescribe birth control pills; and more.
Chicago Tribune:
Planned Parenthood Of Illinois Closes Four Clinics Across State
Citing a “financial shortfall,” Planned Parenthood of Illinois announced Wednesday — on the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade — that it will be closing four clinics across the state, including one on Chicago’s South Side. The health center shutdowns come as Illinois is already grappling with a surge in patients traveling here from other states for abortion care after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision Roe v. Wade in June 2022, ending federal abortion rights. (Lourgos, 1/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Largest Planned Parenthood Health Center In U.S. Opens In Oakland
The largest Planned Parenthood health center in the U.S. has opened in downtown Oakland, officials said. The building, located at 1400 Broadway, is officially named the Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Barbara Lee Oakland Health Center, officials said. It opened on Dec. 17 and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for the center on Feb. 1. (Parker, 1/22)
In other reproductive health news —
The Hill:
Gretchen Whitmer Signs Reproductive Health Legislation Allowing Birth Control Prescriptions
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed two bills into law earlier this week that will allow pharmacists in the state to prescribe hormonal birth control. House Bill 5436 gives Michigan pharmacists the ability to write prescriptions for hormonal contraceptives like birth control pills, emergency contraceptive pills, patches and vaginal rings. Whitmer also signed a second piece of legislation, House Bill 5435, which requires insurance companies to cover the cost of pharmacist-prescribed hormonal contraception in the state. (O’Connell-Domenech, 1/22)
Wyoming Public Radio:
Wyoming Bill Requiring Ultrasounds Before Medical Abortions Progresses
State legislators are considering a bill that would force pregnant Wyomingites to get an ultrasound at least 48 hours before being prescribed medication for an abortion. HB 64, sponsored by House Speaker Rep. Chip Neiman (R-Hulett), passed out of the House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee on Wednesday. (Clements, 1/22)
The Hill:
Senate Democrats Block GOP’s ‘Born-Alive’ Abortion Bill
Senate Republicans failed on Wednesday to invoke cloture on a bill legislating care for infants “born alive” during attempted abortions, with the motion largely serving to get Democrats on the record as voting against a bill being framed as anti-infanticide. Republicans sought cloture on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, a bill that requires health care practitioners to provide the “same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence” for a child born alive during an attempted abortion, as they would during normal childbirth. (Choi, 1/22)
WLBT News:
Mississippi Politician Files ‘Contraception Begins At Erection Act’
A state senator in Mississippi has filed a bill entitled the “Contraception Begins at Erection Act.” As written by Sen. Bradford Blackmon, the bill would make it “unlawful for a person to discharge genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo.” There are also fines involved, the third strike resulting in the loss of $10,000 from the perpetrator. (1/22)
