Posted on Aug 5, 2022
In one southern Illinois town, residents grapple with abortion's past and future
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Addison Pesek sits on the curb of a 1950s-era Dairy Queen, the small ice cream shop’s neon glow washing over her and her family on a recent summer evening.
Dozens of local residents wait in line to order from the Carbondale staple as the 22-year-old enjoys a cup of ice cream with her 5-year-old daughter Kinley in her lap, murmuring how she’s excited to start school in the fall.
“I want to learn about space,” Kinley says. “I want to be an astronaut.”
Pesek says she was very young when she had her first child, but a stable support system is what got her through challenging times. She said she realizes not everyone has the same privilege and is all too familiar with Carbondale’s latest hot-button debate — abortion clinics coming to town.
"I personally believe that it would be a good decision," she said of the possibility of abortion providers choosing to open clinics in Carbondale. “At the end of the day, it’s your body. As a woman, we have to go through that, nobody else.”
Dozens of local residents wait in line to order from the Carbondale staple as the 22-year-old enjoys a cup of ice cream with her 5-year-old daughter Kinley in her lap, murmuring how she’s excited to start school in the fall.
“I want to learn about space,” Kinley says. “I want to be an astronaut.”
Pesek says she was very young when she had her first child, but a stable support system is what got her through challenging times. She said she realizes not everyone has the same privilege and is all too familiar with Carbondale’s latest hot-button debate — abortion clinics coming to town.
"I personally believe that it would be a good decision," she said of the possibility of abortion providers choosing to open clinics in Carbondale. “At the end of the day, it’s your body. As a woman, we have to go through that, nobody else.”
In one southern Illinois town, residents grapple with abortion's past and future
Posted from news.stlpublicradio.org
Carbondale
Abortion
Medical
Health
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Dycus said she was angry to hear about the Supreme Court overturning Roe and has even protested the decision. There was excitement within her circles, she said, when providers began announcing they would be opening up clinics locally.
“It was just kind of a relief to know that we were going to step up to the plate and provide access, not only access to only our area, but to other people who need it,” Dycus said.
As the spotlight shines on the debate surrounding abortion rights, pressure from the largely Republican communities surrounding Carbondale can’t stop outside providers from coming into the state.
City Councilman Adam Loos said that those speaking out against abortion access are a minority of his constituents and that he emphasizes the city’s hands are legally tied.
“What I’ve told them, speaking for myself rather than for the city, is that even if there were something (to do) — I wouldn’t participate in it,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a majority for it.”...
..."Dycus said she was angry to hear about the Supreme Court overturning Roe and has even protested the decision. There was excitement within her circles, she said, when providers began announcing they would be opening up clinics locally.
“It was just kind of a relief to know that we were going to step up to the plate and provide access, not only access to only our area, but to other people who need it,” Dycus said.
As the spotlight shines on the debate surrounding abortion rights, pressure from the largely Republican communities surrounding Carbondale can’t stop outside providers from coming into the state.
City Councilman Adam Loos said that those speaking out against abortion access are a minority of his constituents and that he emphasizes the city’s hands are legally tied.
“What I’ve told them, speaking for myself rather than for the city, is that even if there were something (to do) — I wouldn’t participate in it,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a majority for it.”...
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