Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Welcomes Planned Parenthood of Illinois President and CEO Jennifer Welch as His Guest for the State of the Union

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) is proud to announce Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) President and CEO Jennifer Welch as his guest for the 2024 State of the Union. Since 2017, President Welch has led the organization, and last year, PPIL served more than 66,000 patients at its 17 health centers across Illinois. President Welch has also been integral in transforming Illinois into a reproductive rights haven that serves patients from neighboring states who have seen their own reproductive freedoms weakened and restricted following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in June 2022. Illinois saw the largest increase in abortions performed in the 15 months following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, outpacing similar states such as California and New York. PPIL was also instrumental in guiding the passage of a sweeping reproductive rights package signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker in January 2023 that expanded protections for health care providers like PPIL and its patients from Illinois and those traveling from out of state.

“Reproductive rights have been under attack since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and dire consequences have followed, including the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling to restrict in-vitro fertilization treatment (IVF),” Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said. “Thanks to the dedicated work of Jennifer Welch, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and leaders and advocates throughout our state, Illinois has become a beacon of hope for Americans in neighboring states who have seen their reproductive freedoms stripped away by the far-right. I am grateful to President Welch and Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ incredible work to expand and protect reproductive rights, and I look forward to President Biden outlining his plan to restore reproductive freedoms for all Americans during his State of the Union address.”

“I feel fortunate to live and work in Illinois, where we have pro-choice champions like Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi who continues to support equitable access to reproductive and sexual health care,” President Jennifer Welch said. “Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, I have seen first-hand the devastating personal impact when states lose access to abortion and gender-affirming care and patients are forced to travel for these services. Planned Parenthood of Illinois has experienced a 54% increase in abortion care patients traveling from 40 different states. But we know anti-abortion groups and lawmakers won’t stop. They continue to come after abortion care, medication abortion, birth control, gender-affirming care, and even IVF. I am deeply proud of the work PPIL does to ensure that all people, regardless of zip code, have access to affordable, non-judgmental, sexual and reproductive health care.”

Last week, Congressman Krishnamoorthi received a 100 percent score from the organization Reproductive Freedom for All, commending his commitment to voting against legislation that attacks and weakens access to reproductive rights. Congressman Krishnamoorthi has been a long-time supporter and advocate for women’s reproductive freedoms and is a cosponsor of the following measures that expand and protect reproductive rights at the federal level:

• H.R. 7056- “Access to Family Building Act”
  • Provides right of access to assisted reproductive technology, including IVF.
• H.R. 12- “Women’s Health Protection Act of 2023
  • Prohibits governmental restrictions on the provision of and access to abortion services.
  • Recognizes an individual’s right to interstate travel, including for abortion services.
• H.R. 3420- “My Body, My Data Act of 2023”
  • Protects the privacy of personal reproductive or sexual health information collected by applications and health tracking tools.
• H.R. 561- “EACH Act of 2023”
  • Requires federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), to provide coverage for abortion services.