Recognizing that states are the last line of defense in a post-Dobbs environment, the House Reproductive Health and the Dobbs Decision Working Group, led by state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, unveiled a plan Thursday that would strengthen and expand reproductive freedoms through a number of actions. Introduced under Senate Bill 3799, the working group’s Patient and Provider Protection Act targets a number of categories related to reproductive freedoms by:

• Requiring public universities and community colleges to each make emergency contraception (“Plan B”) accessible for purchase in at least one vending machine on each campus at a cost no greater than $40;

• Requiring abortifacients (medications administered to terminate a pregnancy), gender-affirming health care* medications, and PEP/PrEP medication (HIV treatment) to be covered by insurers at no-cost;

• Targeting health care deserts and underserved communities by permitting birth centers in Illinois to provide full spectrum reproductive health care, instead of only childbirth-related needs of pregnant persons and their newborns; 

• Clarifying that no person is subject to civil liability for receiving an abortion under the Wrongful Death Act, as well as clarifying that no hospital personnel shall report an abortion to law enforcement agencies