Planned Parenthood to resume offering abortions next week in Wisconsin, citing court ruling
UPDATED: Sept. 14,2023 at 5:45 p.m.
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The announcement of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin's decision to resume abortion care services has drawn mixed reactions from both pro-choice and pro-life supporters.
PPWI President and CEO Tanya Atkinson spoke with CBS 58 and said they have been receiving "emails and text messages and expressions of gratitude" all day Thursday.
"I think that the reactions really underscore how devastating it was for Wisconsinites to not be able to access abortion, both for you know, women, people across the gender spectrum who need abortions themselves, and for you know, and for others who was friends, family, loved one's neighbors, needed abortion couldn't access that," Atkinson said. "So, I think this outpouring of gratitude and support really underscores the devastating impact that that being forced to suspend services had on the people Wisconsin."
Atkinson said the organization was "very confident" in the legal path moving forward, noting that the team had ongoing efforts since Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer.
Those conversations then continued and "accelerated" in the last couple of months.
"Twice, the Dane County Circuit Court made it crystal clear that in by stating that this statute was related to infanticide and was not a statute that was applicable to voluntary abortion," Atkinson said. "That, combined with the Supreme Court ruling that the judge referenced made it very clear."
In an average year, PPWI serves about 5,000 people.
Atkinson said teams are staffed and ready to help those in need come Monday.
They also have security measures in place as the safety and security of staff and patients is their "top priority."
"Abortion is healthcare. Anyone who needs an abortion for whatever reason... Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is here to provide you that care, no matter what," Atkinson said.
But those on the pro-life side told CBS 58 the news was "concerning" for women and their pre-born children in the state.
"We are surprised and very saddened by this news," said Gracie Skogman, the legislative impact director for Wisconsin Right to Life. "We are devastated."
This decision is expected to eventually reach the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Skogman said this was "another example of [PPWI] putting profits over life."
"It's our job at Wisconsin Right to Life to continue to fight for protection of life, whether that be legislatively through the courts," Skogman said. "But most importantly, I think it's for us to ensure that we continue to provide comprehensive care and support to women."
Skogman said their coalition of pregnancy resource center sees "thousands" of women each year, with centers in Milwaukee seeing "hundreds" per month.
"We hope that life is continues to be protected here in our state, and we saw lives protected and live saved while this law was in effect," Skogman said. "But ultimately, we will continue to work on providing support to women, whether that be through emergency grants at Wisconsin Right to Life or through the work of pregnancy resource centers."
Both organization said their ultimate goal is to help Wisconsin's women and families.
Appointments for abortion services opened Thursday. To register, click here or call 844-493-1052.
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UPDATED: Sept. 14, 2023 at 10:56 a.m.
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Gov. Tony Evers released a public statement following the decision by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin that they will resume abortion care services.
In the statement, Evers took the position that he plans to fight to restore reproductive freedom throughout Wisconsin, mentioning that he has worked on that effort since the June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision by the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Evers stated, “Today’s announcement from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin as a result of our lawsuit regarding Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban means Wisconsinites will once again be able to access vital reproductive healthcare and abortion services without exception for the first time since June of last year. This is critically important news for Wisconsin women and patients across our state who, for a year now, have been unable to access the healthcare they need when and where they need it."
He added, "But I also want to be clear today: I will never let up. And we must not let up. Our fight to restore the same reproductive rights and freedoms Wisconsinites had up until the day the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe must continue,” and continued, "I will keep fighting like hell every day until Wisconsinites have the right to make their own healthcare decisions without interference from politicians who don’t know anything about their lives, their family, or their circumstances.”
The full statement from Evers can be found by clicking here.
PUBLISHED: Sept. 14, 2023 at 10:29 a.m.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Planned Parenthood announced Thursday that it will resume offering abortions in Wisconsin next week after a judge ruled that an 1849 law that seemingly banned the procedure actually didn't apply to abortions.
The resumption of abortions Monday at clinics in Milwaukee and Madison comes as the lawsuit challenging the state law continues in county court. It is expected to eventually reach the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which flipped to liberal control on Aug. 1.
Abortion clinics across the state stopped offering abortions following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Democrats in Wisconsin, including Gov. Tony Evers, used abortion access as a central focus of their reelection victories in 2022. State Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz, whose win in April gave liberals the majority for the first time in 15 years, ran as a supporter of abortion rights.
Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit in Dane County days after Roe v. Wade was overturned, seeking to repeal the ban.
Kaul argues that the ban is too old to enforce and that a 1985 law that permits abortions before a fetus can survive outside the womb supersedes the ban. Three doctors later joined the lawsuit as plaintiffs, saying they fear being prosecuted for performing abortions.
Dane County Circuit Judge Diane Schlipper ruled in June that Wisconsin’s 173-year-old abortion ban outlaws killing fetuses but doesn’t apply to consensual medical abortions. Her ruling, a victory for those fighting the ban, said that the legal language in the 1849 law doesn’t use the term “abortion” so it only prohibits attacking a woman in an attempt to kill her unborn child.
“With the recent confirmation from the Court that there is not an enforceable abortion ban in Wisconsin, our staff can now provide the full scope of sexual and reproductive health care to anyone in Wisconsin who needs it, no matter what,” Tanya Atkinson, president of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said in a statement Thursday.