In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving it up to individual states to determine abortion legality. In Wisconsin, an 1849 law interpreted as banning abortion, except in life-threatening emergencies, led all abortion clinics in the state to stop offering services for 15 months while courts determined whether the law was enforceable.
This July, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the Wisconsin legislature had effectively repealed the 1849 ban through comprehensive legislation regulating abortion over the past 50 years. The ruling means that abortion providers can continue offering care under existing state laws, maintaining the current level of access to abortion care.
Following this development, a new CORE brief reviews the latest research on the state of abortion in Wisconsin. Topics include:
- Abortion is legal but still highly restricted
- Due to restrictions, many Wisconsinites leave the state for abortion care
- More Wisconsinites are ordering abortion pills online
- Some Wisconsinites are unable to get abortion care at all
The bottom line: Abortion care remains highly restricted by Wisconsin state law, making it difficult, if not impossible, for people to access desired abortion care. As a result, some Wisconsinites have had to leave the state for care, others have ordered abortion pills online from out-of-state clinicians (shield law providers), and still others have been forced to carry pregnancies to term.