Illinois Democrats have erected a digital wall around abortion and sex-change treatment records with the signing of a new law.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed the bill Wednesday, the anniversary of the Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. It blocks health networks from automatically sharing medical records across state lines. Those records include information on abortions and sex-change operations.

Illinois is a hub for abortions, attracting 1 in 4 women who cross state lines to circumvent laws restricting abortions in conservative states.

Rep. Bill Hauter, a licensed physician and practicing medical professional, questioned the purpose of the bill before it passed the General Assembly.

“This bill fundamentally misinterprets and mischaracterizes what the medical record is for, a private protected communication between healthcare professionals to take care of patients,” Hauter said. “The governor wants it passed, he wants to campaign on it, and we’re going to lose a very important thing. That is a complete and accurate medical record.”

Illinois Right to Life President Mary Kate Zander echoed Hauter’s concerns. Before the bill signing, she warned the mandate jeopardizes patient safety by keeping doctors in the dark.

“Separating abortion-related records from a woman’s broader medical history means doctors will be making decisions without the complete picture, putting women at risk of receiving inappropriate or inadequate care,” Zander said.

Zander noted the irony of the new restrictions.

“The same activists who insist abortion is healthcare have now pushed legislation making healthcare less informed and less safe for women,” Zander said.

The Illinois Hospital Association firmly opposed the mandate arguing current medical technology can’t meet the stringent tracking demands the new law requires.

Pritzker rejected those concerns saying out-of-state actors want to punish women seeking abortions in Illinois.

“Since Roe was overturned, we’ve seen women’s lives endangered by draconian measures limiting reproductive freedom across the country. The State of Illinois will always stand up for women’s reproductive freedom while aggressively rejecting anti-woman, anti-choice policies,” Pritzker said.

The Illinois Department of Public Health issued an updated contraceptive standing order alongside the bill signing. The order expands the ability of pharmacists to directly provide prescription birth control methods to residents. Illinois taxpayers will foot some of the bill through Medicaid coverage.