June 24, 2022 – In response to today’s Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade, Dr. Erin King, Executive Director of Hope Clinic in Granite City, IL, released the following statement:
“For 47 years, since Roe v. Wade was decided, Hope Clinic has been proud to provide dignified, compassionate abortion care to patients from Illinois, Missouri and beyond. We are heartbroken by today’s disastrous Supreme Court decision stripping away the basic right to abortion care in this country. Today’s decision has been preceded by years of extremist attacks on our fundamental human rights. The ruling will immediately affect every person in this country, but will disproportionately impact Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and other historically marginalized communities.
“Hope Clinic is committed to serving as a crucial hub of access to abortion care, just as we have for the last five decades. We will ensure that people from communities across the South and Midwest can still access the safe, quality health care they need and deserve. Together with our partners, including abortion funds, clinics and advocacy groups in Illinois and nearby states, we are creating a network that will help people access abortions and all forms of reproductive health care, despite the obstacles and threats they may face. These efforts include our collaboration with Planned Parenthood of the St Louis Region in late 2021 to open the Regional Logistics Center, which connects patients with existing abortion funds and other support organizations and provides assistance with travel and funding coordination.
“Illinois maintains strong protections for abortion access, and we urge our policymakers to continue enacting legislation that guarantees the right of each person to make decisions about our own bodies. We will speak out against any efforts by anti-abortion extremists in Illinois to promote policies and litigation that could create barriers to abortion. Our state and our clinic must remain a refuge for people from across the country seeking this critical and life-saving care.
“This is not the end of the struggle to protect abortion access, but unfortunately it is a new beginning. We will fight for people in our community and across the country who need abortion care – and it is a fight we are determined to win.”
Hope Clinic is open and seeing patients. Click here to schedule an appointment. If you need financial or travel assistance, click here. For information on other places to access abortion care closest to you, visit ineedana.com or call 877-257-0012.
