Illinois now has one of the most 'progressive' abortion laws in the U.S., governor says

J.B. Pritzker.
(Image credit: Joshua Lott/Getty Images)

Just weeks after neighboring Missouri passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, Illinois is flipping the switch.

The state's Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) on Wednesday signed into a law a bill that provides sweeping protections for abortion rights, which he has said makes Illinois the "most progressive" state in the nation when it comes to the issue. The news comes at a time when several states, including Missouri, Alabama, and Georgia, have passed and signed laws that provide numerous challenges for those seeking access to abortion, such as early cutoff timelines and eliminating rape and incest as viable exceptions. But Pritzker and Illinois opted to go in a different direction, with the governor touting the progressive nature of the new bill.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.