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 banning abortion led all abortion clinics in the state to stop offering services for 15 months while courts determined whether the law was enforceable. Many Wisconsin abortion providers resumed services in September 2023 after a district court determined that the law does not apply to consensual abortions, a stance reaffirmed by a Dane County circuit court final decision in December 2023.
In July 2025, the Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected the state’s 1849 law, ruling that the Wisconsin legislature effectively repealed the 1849 ban by enacting comprehensive legislation regulating abortion over the past 50 years.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.
However, the current level of care is highly restricted. A multitude of state laws, most of which lack medical or scientific basis and interfere in the doctor-patient relationship, have long reduced Wisconsinites’ ability to access abortion care.
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:
- The impact of Wisconsin abortion laws: What’s the evidence?
- Impacts of abortion restrictions on pregnant people, their partners, families, and communities
- Post-Dobbs, Wisconsin ob-gyns described professional distress and poor care for pregnant patients
- Impacts of the Dobbs decision on the ob-gyn workforce in Wisconsin
- Post-Dobbs case studies: Reports from Wisconsinites who considered abortion when it was unavailable
- What it costs Wisconsinites to obtain abortion care out of state in the post-Roe landscape (related infographic)
- Report details Wisconsinites’ demand for telehealth medication abortions despite state restrictions
- Self-managed abortion
- Access to contraceptive care has worsened in Wisconsin post-Dobbs
- Reproductive options: Abortion care information (English | Spanish | Hmong)
"Abortion care is an essential component of comprehensive reproductive health care. Restricted access to abortion care has 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 from our department and professional organizations in support of access to abortion care:
CORE is committed to continuing to work toward our mission.
CORE conducts research and shares evidence that focuses on Wisconsinites’ access to abortion and contraception. We aim to inform policies and programs so that all Wisconsinites may live with reproductive autonomy – the right and power to make decisions about their reproductive health and access desired services without barriers, interference, or coercion.