Chicago City Wire

Former Republican Illinois state legislator Jeanne Ives criticized Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot after she allocated additional funding for abortion services despite ongoing issues plaguing Chicago. 

In a press release on Monday (May 9), Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that $500,000 would be allocated for people traveling from other states to Chicago to undergo abortions. The decision follows the recent leak from the Supreme Court that could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade, limiting access to safe and legal abortion across the country. However, many legislators do not approve of Lightfoot's decision. 

"An estimated 400,000 homes in Chicago have unsafe lead water pipes, but Lightfoot wants to fund abortions for people from out of state," Ives said in a Facebook post on Monday. "You have to be an idiot and REALLY not care about Chicagoans if you think this is acceptable."

Although Illinois has some of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country, many of those who receive abortions in the state come from out of state. Numbers reported by the Chicago Tribune found that in 2020, more than 36,000 Illinois women had abortions, while almost 10,000 out-of-state women traveled to Illinois for abortions.

“Through this investment, my administration is reaffirming our commitment to ensure safe access for anyone seeking safe reproductive health care. That includes access to transportation, lodging, care, and if necessary, safe and legal access to an abortion procedure," Lightfoot said, according to the press release. “All people, regardless of race, sex, age, income or immigration status deserve to have access to health care, and that includes reproductive rights and the choice to decide over their own bodies.”

Even if Roe v. Wade is overturned, Illinois's abortion laws will not change, which has many condemning Lightfoot's decision to allocate more money to abortion services. According to the Chicago Sun Times, almost 400,000 drinking water lines in Chicago are contaminated with lead, an issue Lightfoot promised to handle. Yet in 2020, Lightfoot had only replaced 20 out of the hundreds of lines she promised to repair, blaming former mayor Rahm Emmanuel for her failure to do so.