After a halt of over a year due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood has resumed providing abortions in Wisconsin. The organization had stopped its services following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health ruling in June 2022, which led to the interpretation of Wisconsin’s 1849 law as banning most abortions.
The Democratic Attorney General of Wisconsin, Josh Kaul, filed a suit to repeal the century-old abortion ban. In July, a Wisconsin judge ruled that the law does not apply to consensual medical abortions, allowing the lawsuit to proceed. The case is expected to reach the Democratic-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Last week, Tanya Atkinson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, expressed the impact of the uncertainty surrounding the enforceability of Wisconsin’s abortion law. She stated, “The uncertainty about the enforceability of Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion law has been devastating for Wisconsin women and people across the gender spectrum who need abortion care.”
Following the July court ruling, Planned Parenthood is now “confident” to resume abortion care in Wisconsin. On Monday, services were resumed at clinics in Milwaukee and Madison, according to Atkinson.
During the 15 months without access to abortion care, many patients sought services in neighboring Illinois, where abortions remained largely available. Planned Parenthood of Illinois reported a 700 percent increase in patients traveling to the state from outside the bi-state region of Missouri and Illinois.
The Women’s Medical Fund of Wisconsin, which provides financial assistance for abortion procedures and related costs, assisted 477 Wisconsin patients in receiving abortion care outside of the state in the first half of 2023.
Despite the return of legal abortion care in Wisconsin, there is still much work to be done, according to Cynthia Lin, board president of the Women’s Medical Fund of Wisconsin. Some patients must travel long distances to the clinics in Madison or Milwaukee. Additionally, state laws requiring an ultrasound, counseling appointment, and a 24-hour waiting period create further barriers for patients seeking an abortion.
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