Today marks the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned the federal right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade five decades ago.
Each U.S. state now determines the legality of abortion access. Currently, 14 states have a total abortion ban, 27 states ban abortion based on gestational duration, and yet other states have expanded access to abortion through post-Dobbs legal protections.
In Wisconsin:
- Abortion healthcare services were unavailable for 15 months (June 2022 to September 2023) following the Dobbs ruling.
- Abortion care started to resume in September 2023, and the number of clinics offering procedural and medication abortion services has now returned to pre-Dobbs levels.
- Abortion care remains heavily restricted and difficult to access.
- Recent research documents that access to contraceptive care has worsened in the state post-Dobbs, and births have likely increased.
“The past and current landscape in Wisconsin often places insurmountable obstacles in the way of those most in need of abortion care.”
CORE research shows that many Wisconsinites already lacked access to abortion care before the Dobbs decision due to state laws and restrictions. These laws, most of them medically and scientifically unfounded, are again in effect in the state.
The evidence overwhelmingly documents that abortion restrictions cause harm to people seeking care, families, and communities, and they hit hardest those individuals with the fewest social and economic resources.
“The past and current landscape in Wisconsin often places insurmountable obstacles in the way of those most in need of abortion care, particularly Black and Brown Wisconsinites, rural residents, minors, and those living on low incomes,” says Jenny Higgins, CORE director and the Bissell Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UW-Madison.
“Accessible and affordable abortion care services are essential for reproductive equity, autonomy, and the wellbeing of pregnant people in the state,” she adds.
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