Carbondale, Illinois, is Abortion Central

Let's add up the reasons Carbondale, Ill, a city of 20,000 people has 15,000 abortions performed there every year. I doubt there is any other city in the U.S. with that combination of numbers.

First, it's a college town with the tolerance and liberal lean we would expect. Second, it is in southern Illinois. This puts it within driving distance to the deep south. Third, Illinois is a state with liberal and enlightened laws favoring abortion rights. 

While this link gives a bit of background to Carbondale, a recent New York Times article went into detail. A reporter spent some time in Carbondale visiting with patients, clinic staff and protestors. The Times has a pay wall so I won't bother to link it. 

Nearly all the patients in the three clinics in Carbondale are from other states. A couple of patients interviewed had driven from Mississippi and Texas, 700 miles, the night before and would drive back after the abortion. They had jobs and children at home and someone to help with the driving.

From what we can see, the Trump people seem to have lost interest in stopping abortions. With a million abortions a year in the U.S. what's the point? The peculiar thing is why anyone thought, or still thinks, abortion numbers can be reduced. They have always been big numbers and as the number of women increased the number of abortions increased.  

Even with the big numbers, there are still a few of the ubiquitous protestors in Carbondale. Volunteers from the clinics go to patient's cars and escort patients past the protestors into the clinics. One patient, a Southern by birth, thought of Carbondale Il as "the north." She had been told people in the "north" are not friendly and helpful like those in the South. Her experience was the clinic is a very friendly, warm and welcoming place. 

Those of us who are in favor of women's right hope the Carbondale, Il, can continue to be a place where women from the South can be helped and sent on their way to useful and productive lives.