Decatur’s Planned Parenthood facility is closing at the end of this month due to financial turmoil. What does this mean for local reproductive care accessibility?
The Decatur branch of Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) opened in 1967. Due to the uncertainty with the state of Roe v. Wade, funding cuts have been made, and the center is set to be permanently closed by the end of March. As the closing date gets nearer, it is important to know what’s next, and why the campus community should care.
When students get to college and are free to explore relationships, identity, or sexuality, they also face the consequences. While Millikin University has a free health clinic, its services are limited. Planned Parenthood provides over 28 unique healthcare services, and is a safe place to get informed and ask questions.
“We offer discreet care that may not always be possible at on-campus health centers where you can run into your peers,” Planned Parenthood’s “Head Back Healthy” mission statement reads.
Planned Parenthood’s motto is, “Care. No Matter What.” Millikin works hard to maintain a campus community that embraces diversity. But the loss of PPIL could leave several students without important healthcare.
“Reproductive healthcare is highly unfair for minorities of people. Being anything but a straight, white woman, you are looked at sideways,” sophomore Brianna Phillips said.
PPIL is most well-known for offering affordable abortion care. Even though they do not perform procedural terminations, they are currently the only clinic in Decatur that offers any form of in-person abortion treatment.
While Planned Parenthood and similar local establishments, such as New Life Pregnancy Center, will still offer online abortion pills, there are several safety concerns with doing so.
“The FDA does not recommend purchasing mifepristone outside of the Mifepristone REMS Program,” the FDA website said. “If a person does so, they would be bypassing important safeguards specifically designed to protect their health.”
The Mifepristone REMS Program is a risk evaluation system that requires medication prescription to follow a specific set of guidelines. With the inability to see a physician, there will be no safe way for college students to terminate a pregnancy without traveling to a new provider.
“If college students were to have an unplanned or unexpected pregnancy, they need to have options,” Phillips said. “I think students are going to feel less secure in their relationships because if something were to happen, they have nowhere to turn.”
PPIL does not only offer abortion, though. They also provide many individuals with safe and effective birth control, as well as intensive STD/STI testing and preventive resources. They even treat and care for pregnancy and miscarriage patients who cannot afford a standard obstetrician.
“Many young adults may not be as experienced in these different fields, so knowing that there’s a clinic close by that specializes in that area can be reassuring,” Ray Schilawski, a Decatur native said.
Another unique aspect of the PPIL program is that they offer financial funding and “pills now, pay later” assistance so that patients can stay on track with their birth control, even if they cannot afford it at the time being.
Most birth control, especially the pill and the injectable, have to be taken on a rigorous schedule. Implants and IUDs can cause serious and life-threatening complications if not checked regularly. It is critical that college students can stay on schedule, and continue to get checkups, regardless of financial status.
Unfortunately, the PPIL representatives were not willing to conduct an interview at this time, but more information about financial assistance can be found on Planned Parenthood’s website, or by calling.
Most importantly, Planned Parenthood is currently the only in-person clinic in the Decatur area that specializes in hormone therapy for transgender individuals. While gender affirming hormones can be administered at home, it is still required that patients meet with a healthcare provider in order to continue receiving them.
Unfortunately, the options for LGBTQIA+ providers in Decatur are very few and far between. Obtaining hormone therapy will be nearly impossible for locals, and those who are able to access telehealth providers could be facing more expenses than they would otherwise.
“The sudden shutdown would mean that many would lose their place to obtain hormones for hormone replacement therapy,” Schilawski, who identifies as a transgender man, said. “Planned Parenthood is presumably a safe place for these communities, so the removal of this establishment is detrimental to these minorities.”
Fortunately, there are still online resources and telehealth providers available to treat the Decatur community. However, many are worried about what is to come.
Due to the growing stigma around reproductive care and the current political state of the country, Decatur residents have expressed their concern that this is the start of the closure of an increasing number of healthcare facilities due to a lack of funding.
Illinois will remain a safe state to receive reproductive healthcare, and there are resources for its residents. Plannedparenthood.org offers educational programs and live chats with licensed healthcare providers. The Department of Human Services helpline is 1-800-843-6154, where providers will help explain family planning resources and find low-cost providers. The LGBTQIA+ resources page on icasa.org lists resources and hotlines for LGBTQ+ individuals, including online providers that offer gender-affirming care.
“If the Decatur Health Center was the nearest one to you, to locate your next closest Planned Parenthood health center, you can call 800-230-PLAN,” PPIL said.
Planned Parenthood locations in Peoria, Champaign, and Springfield will still be working to accept patients for the time being.
Reproductive care is not completely gone.
