Decades ago, an entire 40-bed ward at Cook County Hospital, now Stroger Hospital, was dedicated to women suffering from sepsis after illicit abortions.
Dr. Erik Mikaitis, chief executive of Cook County Health, recalled the dedication as the county announced a $2 million grant to the Chicago Abortion Fund as the area remains a beacon for abortion care in the Midwest.
“Before abortion was legal, Cook County Hospital saw the harsh reality of criminalizing abortion,” he said at a Tuesday news conference at Stroger announcing the grant.
“The hospital had an entire 40-bed wing dedicated to treating sepsis in women who had no other option but to seek an unsafe, unregulated abortion.”
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022, several states have restricted or banned abortion, leaving Illinois a haven for women seeking abortions. In the three years since, the state has become the top provider for people leaving their state to get an abortion, a report from the Guttmacher Institute concluded.
“These funds are meant to support women who live in Cook County, as well as those coming to our region in search of care that they’ve been unfairly denied in their own communities,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who also attended the news conference.
The Chicago Abortion Fund was selected by Cook County to receive its $2 million grant, which was built into the county budget this year. The Chicago Abortion Fund was selected through a procurement process by the county, but it was the sole applicant for the grant. The Cook County Health Board of Directors will give a final vote on the grant this month, Preckwinkle said.
“We’re proud to say we’re doing this work in a city and county and state that invests in abortion access,” said Alicia Hurtado, director of advocacy and communications at the Chicago Abortion Fund.
The grant will fund medical procedures but is meant to provide “wraparound” services that ease the burden on people seeking abortion access. Transportation, lodging, child care and other social services will be funded by the grant in hopes of removing obstacles, particularly for low-income families. Since the Dobbs decision, the Chicago Abortion Fund has spent $16 million on appointments, transportation, food, clothes and other needs and fielded more than 40,000 support requests from people seeking abortion care, Hurtado said.
“This investment is not just a financial commitment, it’s a moral one,” said Cook County 6th District Commissioner Donna Miller during the meeting. “It really says that here in Cook County, we protect access to abortion care. We ensure that no person will be denied health care based on their income, immigration status or ZIP code.”
But not everyone agrees with Miller’s moral stance. The abortion debate has heated up in the U.S., leading up to and following the Dobbs decision, with opponents of abortion arguing that life begins at conception, and thus abortion denies the fetus the right to life. Anti-abortion activists routinely protest outside clinics that provide abortions and support legislation curtailing the funding and access to abortion on the local, state and national levels.
Responding to people who oppose abortion, Hurtado said banning abortion doesn’t mean they don’t happen, but they will be more difficult and more dangerous under a ban.
“We know that abortion care is life-changing for so many people,” Hurtado said. “It allows them to take control of their futures and make decisions that are best for themselves and their families.”
Cook County commissioners said the grant signals a commitment not only to women’s health, but to equity and social justice in Illinois, and that the state is a model for others across the country.
“When we all work together, moments like this will continue to have a ripple effect, not just here, but across our country,” Miller said.