Ted Dabrowski, a candidate for Illinois governor, said that the state has become the Midwest’s center for abortion access and argued that state policy should prioritize protecting life.
“Illinois has become the extreme abortion capital of the Midwest,” said Dabrowski, Gubernatorial Candidate. “We offer abortion tourism, abortion subsidies, late-term abortions, and worse. As a state we should encourage the protection of life, not the end of it.”
According to Waterleaf Women’s Center in Aurora, Illinois, it describes itself as a free pregnancy-resource organization offering pregnancy testing, limited ultrasound services, and confidential counseling on available options. The group’s references to a “Pregnancy Assistance Tour” reflect a type of public outreach commonly used by pregnancy resource centers to connect women with no-cost services and referrals.
Illinois’ public health reporting indicates a significant increase in abortions obtained by nonresidents in recent years. The Illinois Department of Public Health lists 26,168 abortions for out-of-state residents in 2023 compared to 16,849 in 2022. For Illinois residents, there were 44,836 abortions in 2023 versus 38,964 in 2022. These year-over-year changes document growing cross-border demand measured in official state data.
National research has tracked substantial interstate travel for abortion care following state-level policy shifts. Guttmacher reported that approximately 155,000 people traveled out of state for abortion care in 2024 (about 15% of patients). Reporting on that dataset noted that Illinois provided an especially large share of abortions for people crossing state lines for care in 2024. Together, these findings place Illinois at the center of a broader regional travel pattern documented by major abortion-data trackers.
Dabrowski is a Republican candidate seeking the Illinois governorship and is known in state policy circles for leading or working with conservative research and advocacy organizations. He serves as president of Wirepoints and previously held a senior policy role at the Illinois Policy Institute. His public messaging has emphasized state governance, fiscal and economic themes, and institutional reform. His campaign launch was covered as part of the developing 2026 Illinois governor’s race.
