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Planned Parenthood is pausing abortions in Wisconsin because federal legislation preventing Medicaid from funding abortion services for one year goes into effect Oct. 1.
Wisconsin Right to Life praised the news.
“Taxpayer dollars should never fund the taking of innocent preborn lives,” Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said in a Sept. 25 WisPolitics article. “Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has long centered its operations around abortion services, and this announcement only confirms that reality.”
The Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law by President Donald Trump July 4, prevents Medicaid dollars from funding abortions. A federal judge initially blocked this change, as CatholicVote previously reported, but a US Appeals Court panel said Sept. 11 that the move could continue for now, according to the Associated Press.
Wisconsin appears to be the first state where Planned Parenthood is pausing abortions in response to the Big Beautiful Bill, according to AP News.
There are currently three Planned Parenthood locations in Wisconsin that provide abortions – Milwaukee, Madison, and Sheboygan – according to the Planned Parenthood website. The organization said that about 60% of people using Planned Parenthood’s services are covered by Medicaid, according to AP News.
Leadership of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin stresses that it sees this as a pause, and that they still view abortion as an essential part of their work.
“Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin will continue to provide the full spectrum of reproductive health care, including abortion, as soon and as we are able to,” Tanya Atkinson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said, according to AP News. “In the meantime, we are pursuing every available option through the courts, through operations, and civic engagement.”
Planned Parenthood killed at least 3,727 unborn children through abortion procedures in Wisconsin between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, according to AP News
Some women seeking abortions will likely travel to Chicago, which is within a 3-hour drive from all three Wisconsin Planned Parenthoods that currently provide abortions.
“Illinois is ready and will be able to accept patients,” Planned Parenthood of Illinois CEO Adrienne White Faines said, according to AP News. “The challenge is that this is not sustainable.”
Wisconsin Right to Life leadership sees the pausing of abortions in Wisconsin as a chance for the pro-life movement in the state to step up and help mothers in need.
“Women and girls facing difficult or unexpected pregnancies deserve compassion, real support, and life-affirming care — and that’s exactly what the pro-life movement is committed to providing,” Weininger said.
>> WSJ: Planned Parenthood facing ‘potentially dire future’ <<
