A Planned Parenthood facility in Peoria, Illinois, is reopening after it was burned down in an arson attack in early 2023 — and now, it will be committing more abortions than ever.
Last year, career criminal Tyler Massengill attacked the facility with a makeshift Molotov cocktail, causing over $1 million in damages. Allegedly, he was angry that his girlfriend had undergone an abortion. Massengill had no known history with the pro-life movement or pro-life beliefs and has a lengthy arrest record. In Peoria County alone, Massengill had 26 arrests at the time of the crime, including violent mob action, burglary, and theft. When he committed the arson, he was on probation for domestic battery as well as aggravated assault with criminal trespass to a residence.
In a press release, Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) announced that the facility will be reopening after undergoing extensive renovations, and that the facility will also now add surgical abortions to its ‘services.’
The press release did not make it clear how late into pregnancy abortions will be committed, but vaguely said it would offer the “full range of abortion options.” And this was evidently the goal they had in mind during the remodeling process.
“When we renovated Peoria after it was attacked, we purposefully designed it with flexibility in mind so we can expand our care options as needed,” said Amy Whitaker, Chief Medical Officer for PPIL. “Since PPIL continues to see a flood of patients needing care in central Illinois we are proud to now offer the full spectrum of abortion care in Peoria.”
In addition, the facility will now use advanced practice nurses (APNs) to commit abortions. APNs are nurses who have completed graduate-level education and are licensed, but do not have the level experience or study as physicians. In January 2023, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill allowing APNs and physician assistants to commit abortions.
Illinois is considered to be a state that is “very protective” of abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, so the “full range of abortion options” could mean practically anything. Here’s why: Illinois law allows unrestricted abortions up to “fetal viability” (a term that abortionists have admitted is undefined and subjective) and also after that point “to protect the life or health of the patient.” But there’s a glaring problem with this: “health of the patient” is so broadly defined as to be virtually meaningless.
FactCheck.org attempted a surface-level, erroneous 2022 ‘fact check’ about Illinois’ law, specifically claiming that it is “false” to say that Democratic state leaders voted to“eliminate all restrictions on abortions up until the day of birth.” But is it actually false? FactCheck.org claimed (emphasis added):
The Reproductive Health Act allows for abortions after fetal viability, but only to “protect the life or health of the patient.” Fetal viability is defined in the law as being the point when there is a “significant likelihood of a fetus’ sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures.”…
The Illinois law says, “…If the health care professional determines that there is fetal viability, the health care professional may provide abortion care only if, in the professional judgment of the health care professional, the abortion is necessary to protect the life or health of the patient.”
But what FactCheck.org didn’t say is how “health of the patient” is defined in the law — which is the key that proves their fact check itself to be false.
Illinois’ Reproductive Health Act states, “‘Health of the patient’ means all factors that are relevant to the patient’s health and well-being, including, but not limited to, physical, emotional, psychological, and familial health and age” (emphasis added). This broad wording — clearly designed to allow for virtually any reason to be classified as a “health” reason — is identical to the language that was in effect under Doe v. Bolton until June of 2022:
Illinois Reproductive Health Act’s definition of “health of the patient” (screenshot)
Within the last several months alone, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed numerous bills expanding and protecting abortion, including mandating insurance coverage for abortion and banning Illinois authorities from aiding out-of-state investigations into law-breaking abortionists. Illinois also gives millions of dollars to Planned Parenthood and other abortion organizations.
