Planned Parenthood will resume providing abortion services in Wisconsin after a state court ruled that a 174-year-old criminal law does not prohibit the procedure. The organization temporarily suspended abortion services in the state following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that had protected abortion as a constitutional right for nearly 50 years.
Abortion services are set to resume at Planned Parenthood’s clinics in Milwaukee and Madison on Monday. Patients can begin booking appointments, bringing relief to individuals seeking access to reproductive healthcare.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul, both Democrats, filed a lawsuit challenging the 1849 criminal law that had raised questions about whether abortion providers could be prosecuted. In July, a state judge ruled that the 174-year-old law does not prohibit consensual medical abortions but instead targets individuals who harm a fetus by attacking the pregnant person.
The legal battle over the 1849 law is ongoing and may eventually reach the state Supreme Court. The current makeup of the court, with a 4-3 liberal majority, could influence the outcome of the case. In March, Wisconsin Democrats introduced a bill to repeal the 1849 ban, although Republicans hold the majority in both legislative chambers.
Planned Parenthood’s decision to resume abortion services in Wisconsin represents a significant development in the ongoing debate over reproductive rights in the United States.
