Laurie, who lives north Chicago, believes that getting behind the wheel of a car is an act of activism. She provides transportation for women in need of an abortion. She volunteers with the Midwest Access Coalition (MAC), a non profit that funds everything, from lodging and transportation to childcare, for women who require it.
Laurie stated that she has driven around 20 women over the past three years.
Adriana Diaz, CBS News correspondent, asked: “What do I remember about the last lady you transported?”
She was a single mother. Her ex-husband wasn’t giving her enough support. She said that she couldn’t handle it as well as she would like. It was both heartbreaking and encouraging. She also had the option to end her pregnancy if she so desired.
Roe v. Wade was struck down by the Supreme Court. This could lead to a new wave in pregnant women traveling to more liberal abortion states.
Illinois has strong abortion protections and is surrounded states that could or have restrictions. Planned Parenthood predicts that as Roe is overturned, up to 30,000 more patients will travel to Illinois to have abortions in the coming year.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPI) has been planning for Roe’s fall for many years. They have built a facility near Indiana in Waukegan, which is about eight miles from Wisconsin border.
Diana Parker-Kafka, MAC’s executive Director, stated that demand for her services has already tripled since last Friday’s Supreme Court decision. She said, “Like my phone vibrating every five second now.”
She worries that Illinois’ healthcare facilities will be too stretched without Roe.
Diaz asked: “Do you think people will have to turn away?”
“Oh yeah. Yeah. We won’t always be able see the people who need abortion care. We are also looking at ways to help those people.
Diaz stated that there are anti-abortion rights activists, who believe it is wrong to allow women to cross state lines in order to obtain an abortion if they’re coming from a country where it’s illegal. What do you say?
Parker-Kafka responded, “I don’t believe bodily autonomy should limit by borders.” These are people who make a decision that is essential for their family’s well-being and for their own lives.
“Is your organization helping women and people to skirt state laws?”
Parker-Kafka stated that “I wouldn’t say they’re skirting state law.” We will absolutely help someone get to Illinois if they have an appointment at a clinic and the care is legal.
Laurie is one of those volunteers. Before she was ready to have a family, she had an abortion in her thirties. She said, “I knew right away that I wasn’t going to have a baby right now.” “It was fortunate it was after Roe. I can clearly recall what happened before Roe. And I remember what those experiences were like.”
She stated that her main goal is to ensure access to legal, safe abortions.
“Is it difficult dropping people off?” Diaz asked.
“Yes, it is. They walk through the door. They are always there for me. It strengthens my resolve to continue doing this for as long as it takes – which seems like it will be quite a while.”
It is not illegal for a woman in a relationship to travel to another country to have an abortion. Justice Brett Kavanaugh stated in his concurring opinion, however, that interstate travel is covered by the Constitution.
Local prosecutors in Dallas and St. Louis have said that they won’t prosecute anyone who assists a woman to get an abortion, despite the fact that it is illegal in these states.
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