Pritzker signs bill protecting medical records for abortion patients in Illinois
Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Reproductive Health Records Privacy Act into law on Wednesday, preventing abortion information from being shared with out-of-state entities to protect women from potential retaliation for receiving legal healthcare in Illinois.
The law was signed on the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade.
“Today is yet more progress in rejecting the invasion on privacy rights being perpetrated by states across the country,” Pritzker said at his bill signing.
The act takes effect July 1, 2027. It will require the separation of information about abortion services or diagnoses of gender dysphoria from a patient’s digital medical records.
Access to those records will be restricted for out-of-state entities and can only be shared in certain circumstances, with a patient’s consent. The information would not be deleted, only shielded.
The law was a priority for the governor’s office during the legislative session, and it passed the General Assembly in the session’s final days.
“Part of protecting our residents, or any individual who comes to Illinois seeking care, is recognizing when their health data is at risk,” said Illinois Sen. Celina Villanueva, a Democrat from Chicago. “We cannot and will not allow women to live in fear for exercising their legal rights to choose in Illinois.”
In the wake of the Dobbs decision, 20 states have banned or severely restricted abortion, and Illinois has become a destination for tens of thousands of abortion-seekers from around the country.
House sponsor state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, a Democrat from Arlington Heights, said the purpose of the law is to protect abortion-seekers.
“Across the country, states are passing laws that treat essential healthcare as a crime,” Canty said. “They're coming after patients, they're coming after doctors, and in Illinois, we're saying ‘Not here.’”
The Reproductive Health Records Privacy Act joins a handful of other Illinois laws that shield patients and providers from out-of-state investigations and prosecutions.
“Healthcare records exist to treat patients, not surveil and punish them,” Pritzker said.
Since 2019, Pritzker has signed multiple laws to reduce barriers to accessing abortion and supported programs to strengthen Illinois’ ability to provide healthcare to anyone who needs it. He has also put his own money behind a political advocacy group aimed at fighting for abortion rights across the U.S.
Darren Bailey, his Republican opponent in the race for governor, has long opposed abortion, having called abortion protections “pure evil” in 2023 and celebrating the end of Roe v. Wade.
But Bailey running mate Aaron Del Mar of Palatine told Capitol News Illinois before the signing that abortion isn’t a top priority for their campaign, and he recognized that a majority of Illinoisans support abortion rights.
“We want to make sure that we represent everybody in Illinois and not just one party or one side,” he said. “Like Darren and I may hold different personal views and beliefs, we feel that it's important to govern all people.”