Planned Parenthood Opens Carbondale Clinic Amid Influx of Out-of-Stat…

(WTTW News)

A new abortion clinic opened in Carbondale Tuesday — the physical manifestation of years of preparation by Planned Parenthood of Illinois for the post-Roe world that was realized in June 2022 with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision.

“We looked at the map and we knew that it was the best possible town in southern Illinois to serve the whole southern Illinois community, and it also is a great location for the surrounding states — none of which have access to abortion,” said Planned Parenthood of Illinois CEO Jennifer Welch. “It’s relatively easy to get to for our neighbors in Kentucky and Tennessee, and it even has a direct train line from New Orleans.”

Carbondale, population 21,717 and home to Southern Illinois University, is a five-hour drive from Chicago but a mere hour from the state’s southernmost city, Cairo.

The Carbondale Health Center offers a full range of reproductive and other services, including testing for sexually transmitted…