STATE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROFILE
Illinois
NATIONAL BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Despite the demonstrable importance and ubiquity of contraception, the truth is that ensuring that every pregnancy is wanted and planned is difficult, at both the individual and the societal levels. For the typical American woman to have two children, she will spend about five years pregnant, postpartum or attempting to become pregnant, and three decades—more than three-quarters of her reproductive life—trying to avoid pregnancy. Not all women, however, are successful: About half of all pregnancies in the United States each year—more than three million of them—are unintended. By age 45, more than half of all American women will have experienced an unintended pregnancy, and about one-third will have had an abortion. Nonetheless, contraceptive use can and does dramatically reduce women’s odds of having an unintended pregnancy.
DEMOGRAPHICS
- In 2008, there were 2,852,200 women of reproductive age (aged 13-44) in Illinois, 1,539,600 of whom were in need of contraceptive services and supplies. Of these:
- AGE: 220,300 were under the age of 20 and 1,319,300 were aged 20-44.
- INCOME: Among women aged 20-44, 165,000 were below 100% of the federal poverty level.
- RACE/ETHNICITY: 920,500 were non-Hispanic white; 263,400 were non-Hispanic black; and 256,300 were Hispanic.
- In 2008, there were 708,700 women in Illinois in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies. Of these, 220,300 were in need of publicly supported services because they were sexually active teenagers, and 488,400 because they had incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- In 2006-2007, 18% of women aged 15-44 in Illinois were uninsured, while 16% were enrolled in Medicaid.
For more information, see Contraceptive Needs and Services, 2006
PREGNANCIES, BIRTHS AND ABORTIONS
- In 2008, there were 272,600 pregnancies to the 2,653,002 women of reproductive age (15-44) in Illinois; 65% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 20% in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 53% of pregnancies in Illinois were unintended. There were 143,000 unintended pregnancies to women in Illinois, producing a rate of 53 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- Of all unintended pregnancies in Illinois in 2006, 53% resulted in live births and 35% resulted in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 68% of births in Illinois resulting from unintended pregnancies were publicly funded, compared with 50% of all births and 36% of births resulting from intended pregnancies.
- Of the 89,900 publicly funded births in Illinois in 2006, 51,400 resulted from unintended pregnancies.
- Births resulting from unintended pregnancies in Illinois accounted for $512 million in public costs in 2006, including $256 million in federal costs and $256 million in state costs.
- In 2008, 54,920 women obtained abortions in Illinois, producing a rate of 20.5 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Some of these women were from other states, and some Illinois residents had abortions in other states, so this rate may not reflect the abortion rate of state residents. The rate increased 9% since 2005, when it was 23.2 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Illinois represents 4.5% of all abortions in the United States.
- In 2005, 48,420 Illinois residents obtained abortions, producing a rate of 18.0 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- In 2005, there were 29,650 pregnancies to Illinois teens aged 15-19; 57% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 28% in induced abortions.
- In 2005, 8,360 teens obtained abortions in Illinois, producing a rate of 19 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-19.
- In 2008, there were 37 abortion providers in Illinois. This represents a 3% decrease from 2005, when there were 38 abortion providers.
- In 2008, 92% of Illinois counties had no abortion provider; 37% of Illinois women lived in these counties.
For more information, see State Facts About Abortion
PUBLICLY FUNDED CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES
- In 2006 in Illinois, 254 publicly funded family planning centers provided contraceptive care to 222,900 women—including 57,800 teenagers.
- Family planning clinics in Illinois served 30% of all women in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies in 2008.
- In Illinois, $230 in public funds was spent on contraceptive services and supplies per woman in need in 2008.
- In Illinois, 108 family planning centers that received some support through the federal Title-X family planning program provided contraceptive care to 141,000 women—including 37,400 teenagers in 2006.
- Title-X-supported centers in Illinois served 19% of all women in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies in 2008.
For more information, see Contraceptive Needs and Services, 2006
IMPACT OF PUBLICLY FUNDED CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES
- Publicly funded family planning services help women to avoid pregnancies they do not want and to plan pregnancies they do. In 2008, these services helped women in Illinois avoid 44,000 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 19,600 unintended births and 18,400 abortions.
- Contraceptive services provided at Title X-supported centers in Illinois helped prevent 27,800 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 12,400 unintended births and 11,600 abortions.
- The services provided at publicly funded family planning centers in Illinois saved the federal and state governments $152,731,000 in 2008.
For more information, see Next Steps for America's Family Planning Program
STATE POLICIES
Policy Summary Table, as of January 1st, 2012
| ABORTION | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Abortion Policy in the Absence of Roe v. Wade | |
| State would restrict abortion to maximum extent permitted by Supreme Court |
|
| Abortion Counseling and Waiting Periods | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Parental Involvement in Minors' Abortions | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Restrictions on Private Insurance Coverage of Abortion | |
| Insurance for state employees restricted | Coverage in limited circumstances |
| Public Funding of Abortion for Poor Women | |
| State pays for all or most medically necessary abortions |
|
| Refusal Clauses for Abortion Services | |
| Medical professionals may refuse |
|
| Medical institutions may refuse | Private institutions |
| ADOLESCENTS | |
|
|
| Minors' Consent to Contraceptive Services | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Minors' Consent to STI Services | |
| All or some minors explicitly permitted to consent | Minors 12 years of age and older |
| Parental Involvement in Minors' Abortions | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Sex Education | |
| Sex education must either stress or cover abstinence | Stress |
| STI/HIV education must either stress or cover abstinence | Stress |
| STI/HIV education must cover contraception |
|
| CONTRACEPTION SERVICES AND FINANCING | |
|
|
| Emergency Contraception in Emergency Rooms | |
| Information must be provided |
|
| Private Insurance Coverage of Contraceptive Services | |
| Insurance coverage mandated |
|
| Insurers may refuse to provide coverage | All insurers |
| Medicaid Family Planning Expansions | |
| Eligibility for Medicaid family planning based on income | 200% Federal Poverty Level |
| Contraceptive Access in Pharmacies | |
| Pharmacists or pharmacies must provide contraceptives | Pharmacies |
| Refusal Clauses for Contraceptive Services | |
| Health care providers may refuse |
|
| Medical institutions may refuse | All institutions |
| Minors' Consent to Contraceptive Services | |
| No policy in effect | |
For more information, see State Policies in Brief