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.
However, lawmakers have not repealed the 1849 law, which is currently under review by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. As such, the law still poses a potential criminal threat to abortion providers.
Even before Dobbs, many state laws and restrictions have long limited access to abortion care for Wisconsinites. 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:
- 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."
UW–Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Chair Ellen Hartenbach, MD
Statements from our department and professional organizations in response to the Dobbs decision:
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.