Chicago Abortion Fund sees its busiest first quarter in 40+ year history

The Chicago Abortion Fund, the largest such fund in the country, took more calls from — and spent more money on behalf of — women seeking an abortion last quarter than in any other quarter over its more-than-40 year history.

In the first three months of this year, the fund answered 5,000 calls, which is around 750 more calls during the same period last year. Due to rising costs, the organization also spent more than twice as much on travel, childcare and groceries for women seeking abortions — $3 million so far this year, compared to $1.37 million in the first three months of 2025.

“It's layered. On the one hand, I'm incredibly grateful that we are still here, meeting all that this moment requires of us, and haven't had to turn anyone who is relying on Illinois for care away," Megan Jeyifo, Chicago Abortion Fund executive director, told the Sun-Times. “I'm also really sad, because I know what people are experiencing to access this kind of health care, how hard it is.”

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade four years ago, tens of thousands of abortion-seekers have had to travel across state lines to receive care. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights, since 2022 nearly a quarter of all patients who traveled across state lines for an abortion received their care in Illinois.

Of those who traveled to Illinois for abortion care, 43% received direct support from the Chicago Abortion Fund, which was founded in 1985.

Illinois received approximately 32,000 out-of-state patients last year. North Carolina came in a distant second, with 18,000 abortion-seekers crossing state lines.

The abortion fund operates entirely from donations and does not require patients to pay for service. Cook County gave the organization a $2 million grant last year to lower barriers to abortion access. But Jeyifo still worries about money .

“The fear is that the need could eventually outpace our funding,” Jeyifo said. “Almost every month we are seeing record-breaking numbers [of patients]. That's just the reality of where we are."

The 2025 fiscal year average appointment voucher was $390, but for the 2026 fiscal year it has risen to $560. Wrap-around support costs, including travel, childcare and meals for patients, rose from $420 last year to $700 this year.

Jeyifo explained Illinois is a hotspot for abortion care because it's close to states with abortion bans or tight restrictions. Indiana and Kentucky both have complete bans with limited exceptions, while Iowa has a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

“We genuinely are in the middle of it all,” Jeyifo said. “So the community here was preparing for the overturning of Roe v. Wade far longer than most people even realized it was a possibility.”

The abortion fund cited travel expenses, including rising gas prices and delays at airports as further reasons for the increased spending in the first three months of 2026.

Jeyifo said the expenses for travel, lodging and taking time off work to receive abortion care can add up quickly, especially in states with more restrictions. North Carolina, for example, has a 72-hour waiting period between a patient’s first pre-abortion visit and their actual abortion appointment, which could increase costs for patients.

“In Illinois, we've tried to make it as straightforward as possible,” Jeyifo said. “Because in Illinois, abortion is not political. It is health care, and we're aiming to make sure that we treat it as such.”