In June 2022, 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. The legality of abortion access is now determined by each state.
In Wisconsin, an 1849 law interpreted as criminalizing abortion led all abortion clinics in the state to stop offering services while courts determined whether the law was enforceable. On December 5, 2023, a Dane County circuit court issued a final decision which determined that this law does not apply to voluntary abortions. Three months prior, in September 2023, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin resumed abortion services in two locations based on a preliminary ruling in this case.
Even before Dobbs, many Wisconsinites already lacked access to abortion care due to state laws and restrictions. These laws, many of them medically and scientifically unfounded, are again in effect now that abortion services have been reinstated in the state.
Learn more about what the Dobbs decision means for Wisconsin by reading CORE’s briefs, research, and resources linked below.

What the overturning of Roe v. Wade means for Wisconsin
CORE briefs and fact sheets:
- Impacts of abortion restrictions on pregnant people, their partners, families, and communities
- What it costs Wisconsinites to obtain abortion care in the post-Roe landscape (related infographic)
- Post-Dobbs changes in abortion access in Wisconsin and nationally
- Recent changes in medication abortion access
- Self-managed abortion
- Contraception is not abortion
- Medical student education on abortion: The current landscape
- Reproductive options: Abortion care information (English | Spanish | Hmong)
"Abortion care is an essential component of comprehensive reproductive health care. Lack of access to abortion care will have a profound, lasting impact on the health of individuals, families and communities across Wisconsin."
UW–Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Chair Ellen Hartenbach, MD
Statements and updates from CORE, our department, and professional organizations:
- CORE update on availability of abortion care in Wisconsin (September 2023)
- Op-ed: Even if Wisconsin abortion ban overturned, women will face obstacles to care
- CORE update on April 2023 mifepristone rulings
- UW-Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology response to Dobbs Supreme Court decision
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Abortion Is Essential
- Joint statement from Maternal Health Specialists on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
CORE is committed to continuing to work toward our mission.
We conduct and share rigorous, interdisciplinary research to inform policies and programs so that all Wisconsin residents and families may live with reproductive autonomy — able to make decisions about their reproductive health and access needed services without interference or coercion.