Jun 26, 2025
A newly opened abortion facility in Chicago, named Hope Clinic, is openly advertising abortions through all three trimesters—up to 34 weeks gestation—making it the only late-term abortion center in the Midwest and one of the few nationwide. Launching on June 2, the clinic surpasses the traditional medical viability standard of 24 weeks by over two months. According to the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute, modern medical advancements have pushed viability as early as 22 weeks, with babies surviving as early as 21 weeks and one day. A sister location in southern Illinois provides abortions up to 27 weeks. Critics note that Illinois law, while nominally restricting abortions after viability, includes broad exceptions for the life or health of the mother, making late-term procedures effectively unrestricted.
Pro-life advocates argue that Illinois’ Reproductive Health Act was intentionally vague, enabling late-term abortions under nearly any circumstance while avoiding public scrutiny by removing the “elective” label. The Chicago clinic reportedly sees 8–10 patients per week, most seeking second- or third-trimester abortions. Former OB-GYN professor Dr. Karen Deighan reflected on the contradiction she observes in her field: fighting to save babies at 22 weeks while others end pregnancies at the same stage. Meanwhile, Governor J.B. Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul continue to position Illinois as a sanctuary for abortion access, with Pritzker proclaiming the state a “beacon of hope.” Eric Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League warned that Illinois’ embrace of late-term abortion reflects an alarming shift, moving from the rhetoric of “safe, legal, and rare” to becoming what he called “the abortion capital of the United States.”
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SOURCE: Decision Magazine