Three years ago, when the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned nearly 50 years of constitutional protection for abortion, states became the last line of defense in the fight for reproductive freedom. As governors, we’ve stepped up to respond to this new national reality.
The Dobbs decision didn’t end abortion in America. Instead, it’s been re-routed to a few states now bearing the weight of a national need. States like ours—Illinois and New Mexico—have become what many call “surge states,” where Americans facing extreme abortion restrictions in neighboring states are turning for abortion care in record numbers.
SOURCE: Time, by JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois, and Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor of New Mexico, 24 June 2025