Planned Parenthood opens Illinois clinic aimed at patients in Tennessee and other abortion-ban states

Frank Gluck, Nashville Tennessean
·1 min read
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Planned Parenthood has opened a clinic in southern Illinois aimed at Tennesseans and others in abortion-ban states looking for such services, the organization announced this week.

A ribbon cutting for the new health center in Carbondale was held on Monday. Abortion is banned in Tennessee, though the state has adopted an exception for women whose lives are medically at risk of death.

"The new Planned Parenthood health center in Illinois means Carbondale will continue to be a safe place to access abortion care within a four-hour drive for most patients in Middle and West Tennessee," said Ashley Coffield, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, in a written statement. "This adds to the access already provided by Choices Center for Reproductive Health of Carbondale, and countless patients in Tennessee are grateful for their care."

Ashley Coffield
Ashley Coffield

Planned Parenthood of Illinois has reported a 54% increase in patients seeking abortions since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a decision that allows states to ban the procedure.

Why Carbondale: How one quiet Illinois college town became the symbol of abortion rights in America

The clinic, which is now open, provides cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and treatment, gender-affirming health care, medication, and in-clinic abortion. For more information, call 877-200-7745 or visit PPIL.org.

Frank Gluck is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at fgluck@tennessean.com. Follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @FrankGluck.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Planned Parenthood opens Illinois clinic for Tennessee abortion care