Hey there, it’s Wednesday! I didn’t know I needed it until I saw this video of a woman dancing at a department store with a bunch of people cheering her on. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Abortion providers in Illinois are preparing for up to 30,000 more patients a year

Jennifer Welch, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, tells the Chicago Tribune that anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 additional patients could travel to Illinois each year if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

About 10,000 people from outside the state came to Illinois for the procedure in 2020, according to the most recent data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. That was a 29% increase from the previous year.

Democratic lawmakers this week are looking at ways to further protect access to abortions, which would remain legal in Illinois even if Roe is overturned.

The Tribune reports Chicago officials are talking about strengthening ordinances that create zones around clinics where anti-abortion protesters can’t enter. [Trib]

Meanwhile, NPR looks at what lessons can be learned from the Jane Collective, which provided health care, counseling and abortion services to thousands of women in Chicago by the late 1960s. [NPR]

Here’s an explainer of the ins and outs of Illinois’ protections for abortion rights. [WBEZ]

2. Is same-sex marriage next?

That’s a question many LGBTQ Americans and advocates are asking as the end of Roe v. Wade moves from an abstract idea to a very real possibility.

In the leaked draft opinion, Justice Samuel Alito writes that any fundamental right not mentioned in the Constitution must be “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition” to be recognized.

Legal experts are divided over whether that narrow interpretation of rights puts same-sex marriage in danger, reports The Washington Post.

“Some say the draft opinion in the abortion case provides a road map for the court to hold that same-sex marriage is not a fundamental right, while others argue that there is no public appetite for putting that issue before the court,” the paper reports. “They also point out that Alito, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, explicitly stated in the draft opinion that his reasoning was not meant to apply to any rights besides abortion.” [WaPo]

3. Abortion rights now loom as a key factor in Illinois politics

And it could “spur Democratic turnout in the June Illinois primary and November general election — and take steam out of the GOP attack on Democrats up and down the ticket over Chicago area crime,” reports my colleagues over at the Chicago Sun-Times.

A majority of Illinois residents support access to abortions. In 2021, a survey from Public Policy Polling found that 73% of respondents agreed abortion “should remain legal in Illinois as a private decision between a woman and her doctor, not politicians.”

Gov. JB Pritzker could very well see a boost in support as he asks voters to give him a second term in office. But the potential end of Roe v. Wade “could imperil GOP primary candidate Richard Irvin, who is not campaigning on his anti-abortion stance,” the Sun-Times reports.

Irvin, the mayor of Aurora who is backed by billionaire Ken Griffin, has previously said he is “pro-life” with some exceptions, but he took a pass yesterday when asked by reporters to respond to the leaked draft opinion. [Sun-Times]

4. Western officials are worried Putin could soon expand the war in Ukraine

Russia’s Victory Day is May 9, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany.

And Western officials are watching to see if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses the occasion to declare an all-out war on Ukraine and mobilize reservists to make up for significant troop losses, reports The Associated Press.

In Ukraine, Russian missile attacks hit transportation hubs in an attempt to stop the flow of Western weapons and supplies, which are crucial for Ukrainian forces as they seek to deny Moscow a victory in the battle for the Donbas region.

With no end of the fighting in sight, the European Union today proposed a total embargo on Russian oil that would hurt Russia’s ability to fund its military. [AP]

In the U.S., the Biden administration has now determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being “wrongfully detained” by the Russian government. [ESPN]

5. Filmmakers behind The Matrix movies are auctioning off props for trans youth

Lana and Lilly Wachowski will auction more than 180 items from their movies to help support trans youth, whose existence has increasingly been questioned in Republican-led states.

“We shouldn’t have to have fundraisers to protect trans people. It’s just crazy how trans folks are used as this political cudgel, this wedge, to divide our electorate,” Lilly Wachowski told WTTW in a recent interview. “The thing of it is, trans people aren’t going away. We’ve always been here and we always will be here. We know that we’re going to stand up for each other, it’s just a matter of if our allies and if cis people are going to stand up for us too.”

The Wachowskis, who grew up in Chicago and still call the city home, will auction various items from The Matrix Revolutions, V for Vendetta, and other movies beginning on May 12. [WTTW]

Here’s what else is happening

• A lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre can proceed, an Oklahoma judge ruled this week. [NPR]
• Chicago’s COVID-19 risk could move up this week from “low” to “medium.” [Chicago Tribune]
• Dolly Parton, Eminem and Lionel Richie are among this year’s inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. [AP]
• A new trailer is out for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show. [A.V. Club]

Oh, and one more thing …

If you felt like the past month was a never-ending cycle of gray skies and rain, well, you’re right.

There was just one day of significant sunshine in the past 43 days in Chicago, reports Block Club Chicago. [BCC]

But next week looks like summer is coming with a bang. We could see a high of 67 degrees on Sunday, reports NBC5. And temperatures could hit 80 on Monday and the mid-80s on Tuesday. [NBC5]

Tell me something good …

Mother’s Day is this Sunday. So I’d like to know what is one of your fondest memories of your mom?

Amy writes:

“Every summer, our community swimming pool held a cannonball contest for adults (called ‘The Big Mama Splash Contest’) and my mom was always an enthusiastic participant. She even won once! As a kid, I just rolled my eyes, but now I realize that my mom’s silliness, confidence and excellent cannonball form are qualities that I hope to pass on to my daughters.”

Joyce Miller Bean writes:

“My favorite memory is of when I had to stay home in bed because I had a cold. Mom would bring me tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich on a tray and she would sit next to me reading poems from Childcraft, which was a popular children’s book collection in my Baby Boomer era.

“I would happily drift off to sleep listening to my mother’s soft reading of my favorite, Wynken, Blynken and Nod.”

And Becky writes:

“My fondest memories of my mom? Having lunch with her in her office when we were both first time professional women working around the corner from each other. She waited a long time to have a job outside the home.

“Thankfully my father purchased the restaurant where he had been the manager and he was smart enough to bring her on board to manage the back office, her forté, not his.”

Feel free to email or tweet me, and your response might be shared here this week.