Illinois is still the place people head when they have to cross state lines for abortion care, holding on to its status as the country’s top destination in 2025. Providers here performed about 32,490 procedures for out-of-state patients last year, which works out to nearly one in four people who traveled for care nationwide, keeping Illinois well ahead of any other state.
According to a report by the Guttmacher Institute, roughly 142,000 people crossed state lines to obtain abortion care in 2025, and Illinois accounted for about 23% of that total with its 32,490 procedures. The same report notes that out-of-state abortions in Illinois declined from nearly 39,890 in 2023, a shift the institute links to the rise of telehealth services for people living in ban states.
Clinics Reporting Heavy Out-Of-State Caseloads
On the ground, clinics say their waiting rooms tell the story. Planned Parenthood of Illinois reports that many of its centers are treating the majority of out-of-state patients. At the Carbondale health center, about 90% of abortions involved people traveling from Tennessee and Kentucky. In Waukegan, 46% of abortion patients came from Wisconsin, and in Champaign, 48% were from Indiana. “They know that Illinois is a safe-haven state, and they can get access to quality, evidence-based medicine,” Adrienne White-Faines, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, told reporters, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Telehealth Cuts Some Travel, But In-Person Care Still Crucial
The numbers suggest that virtual care is easing, but not replacing, the stream of travelers. Guttmacher’s full-year estimates show that travel for abortion care fell from about 154,000 people in 2024 to roughly 142,000 in 2025, while telehealth abortions provided to residents of ban states climbed to roughly 91,000. Even so, the institute stresses that many patients still need to show up in person, especially those later in pregnancy or needing procedural care, which keeps certain states and clinics under intense pressure.
State Moves To Shore Up Access, Critics Cry Foul
State leaders and private funders have been scrambling to keep pace. Governor JB Pritzker announced the Prairie State Access Fund, a public-private partnership with the Michael Reese Health Trust meant to help clinics expand capacity and cover travel and other logistical costs for patients. Pritzker's release framed the new fund as a way to sustain care for both Illinois residents and those coming from out of state. Opponents have seized on the same Guttmacher figures, with Mary Kate Zander of Illinois Right to Life describing the situation as “the wild west,” as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Legal Backdrop Reshapes Where Patients Go
Recent court rulings are also reshuffling patient flows across the region. In July 2025, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that an 1849 statute does not ban abortion, a decision that changed access inside that state and likely eased some of the cross-border traffic into Illinois. At the same time, other bans and restrictions across the Midwest and South continue to push patients toward Illinois, according to reporting from CNN on the Wisconsin high-court decision.
Providers and advocates say Illinois will have to maintain both robust telehealth networks and on-the-ground clinical capacity if it wants to keep meeting demand from neighboring states, even as the political fights over funding and regulation continue. For now, the data are clear: in 2025, Illinois remained the destination of choice for thousands of people who had to leave home to get care.
