Planned Parenthood executives and Illinois lawmakers have announced an expansion of the group’s Orland Park facility on South LaGrange Road.
The announced 1,800-square-foot expansion is projected to increase patients looking for sexual and reproductive health treatment by up to 50% annually.
Last year, the location served 3,000 people. The expanded space will include procedure and ultrasound rooms, along with an education room according to the group.
“Expanding the Orland Park health center is a crucial step to ensure that all people have equitable access to healthcare that they need and deserve,” said PPIL CEO Jennifer Welch. “We also know that this health center will serve residents from other states beyond Illinois, because so many states near here are forcing their patients to travel for essential sexual and reproductive healthcare.”
The site is located near the Indiana border and the Tri-State Tollway.
Planned Parenthood says Illinois has had patients come from 40 different states since the Supreme Court overturned Roe V Wade in 2022. It makes Illinois the state with the largest increase in out-of-town abortion patients in the country.
Reproductive rights are back in the Supreme Court spotlight this week. On Tuesday the Justices will consider whether to limit access to Mifepristone, an abortion pill used in the U.S.
Currently the FDA approved the drug for use up to ten weeks of pregnancy, and allows for providers to prescribe it via telehealth and in the mail.
However, a group sued the FDA, saying it exceeded its authority when it made the drug more accessible.
Now, the court could restrict mailing of abortion pills, and require that the drug be provided in person at a doctor’s office, up to 7 weeks of pregnancy.
Read more about Mifepristone and its other uses on the NBC Chicago website.