With strict abortion bans in neighboring states, Illinois has become a central hub for safe abortion access.
Illinois made history late last month when Gov. JB Pritzker signed HB 3709, the first law in the Midwest to require public colleges and universities to ensure students have convenient access to medication abortion and contraception. In doing so, Illinois joins the expanding group of states requiring student health centers to offer abortion pills—California first in 2019, followed by Massachusetts in 2022 and New York in 2023.
Advocates stress that bringing care directly onto campuses will make a real difference for students. “This legislation is a critical step in ensuring that Illinois students can access medication abortion care when they need it—without leaving campus or facing delays that increase costs and complexity,” said Alicia Hurtado, advocacy and communications director at the Chicago Abortion Fund.
Signed on Aug. 22, the new law requires public colleges and universities to provide access to abortion pills through student health centers, telehealth or licensed external providers, and also requires campus pharmacies to dispense prescribed contraception and medication abortion. They must do so beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
Advocates say the law also sends a powerful message about students’ rights. “Abortion is common and essential healthcare, and students deserve the same access on campus as they do to any other form of basic medical care,” said Hurtado. “By becoming the first state in the Midwest to guarantee public university campus access to medication abortion and contraception, Illinois is sending a clear message: Our young people’s health and futures matter.”
The bill was a direct response to student advocacy and action. In 2024, students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) passed a referendum urging the student health center to make medication abortion available for students. Nearly three-quarters of the 6,354 student voters supported the idea. Student leaders Emma Darbro and Grace Hosey testified before legislative committees to push HB 3709 forward, advocating for accessible and affordable reproductive healthcare for college students.
Student advocates at UIUC joined forces with state Rep. Barbara Hernandez and state Sen. Celina Villanueva, who sponsored the bill in the legislature. Villanueva, who co-sponsored the measure, underscored the inequities the law is designed to address: “Access to reproductive healthcare shouldn’t depend on your zip code, income or whether you own a car. By bringing these services directly to college campuses, we’re removing barriers, expanding equity, and making sure students have the resources they need to take control of their health and their futures.”
For students, ensuring abortion care is available on or near campus is essential. Research from California and Massachusetts shows that when students are forced to leave campus for medication abortion, they face serious roadblocks: barriers in finding a provider, securing an appointment, and dealing with the time and cost of often long, slow public transit journeys.
The need to ensure Illinois students have access to abortion has become critical because Illinois providers are now serving tens of thousands of patients from surrounding states that ban or restrict abortion. Illinois provided roughly 35,000 abortions in 2024 to those traveling from out of state, which accounted for 39 percent of all abortions performed in Illinois.
In fact, Illinois attracted more out-of-state abortion seekers than any other state in the country. With 155,000 people nationwide traveling across state lines for abortion care in 2024—about 15 percent of all abortion patients—this dynamic highlights Illinois’s role as a central sanctuary in the Midwest.
For Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, the law is another step in Illinois’s commitment to reproductive freedom.
“Since Roe fell, we’ve worked hard to ensure that Illinois is a safe haven for reproductive freedom in the Midwest and leading the country in strengthening women’s rights,” said Stratton. “As Donald Trump and his administration continue to pull every lever they can to rip rights away from women, Illinois is making sure every woman, at every stage of life, can get the legal care they need from providers they trust.”
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