ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The Planned Parenthood Clinic in Fairview Heights, Illinois says it's extending its window when it offers abortion by medication, because of increased demand.
Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, says patients are coming from thousands of miles to access reproductive care in Southern Illinois.
"Ever since Texas became the first state to completely eliminate abortion access, we have continued to see waves of patients coming to us all across the U.S.," said McNicholas on Total Information A.M. "In the last year, we have seen patients from more than 28 states coming to Southern Illinois to access basic reproductive healthcare."
McNicholas says they have seen patients come thousands of miles to the clinic in Southern Illinois for what she says is a "very straightforward healthcare visit."
"Sometimes just to get medication to use for their pregnancy termination," said McNicholas. "It has certainly stressed the health care system and we know those who seek abortion tends to be families who are financially insecure so traveling thousands of miles, taking multiple days off of work and certainly exasperating what is already a crisis for so many of these families."
The increased demand has led to the clinic to extend its eligibility window for medication abortion from the clinic's current 11-weeks of pregnancy to 12-weeks.
"We know from revolving data that it is safe to use medication abortion through 12 weeks," said McNicholas. "The most important thing when we are treating a patient who is looking for a pregnancy termination is that we are helping them choose the path that is best for them, where they are in life, how they want to experience it."
"Medication abortion very much mirrors an experience that so many women have in their life, which is miscarriage. So many women are familiar with the process and so as long as it is safe, which we know it is, we should be offering medication abortion to everybody."
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