New Planned Parenthood Partnership Provides WI Women Abortion Access

WISCONSIN – A Wisconsin single mother of twins who was scheduled to have a pregnancy terminated In June suddenly found herself struggling with what to do after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the law that made abortion legal across the nation.

But thanks to a partnership that became official on Thursday between Planned Parenthood Wisconsin and its sister organization in Illinois, that woman was able to have the procedure completed days after her original appointment was canceled due to the court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Now, with abortion illegal in Wisconsin, officials with Planned Parenthood said Thursday they anticipate the partnership will not only allow women across the state access to reproductive healthcare but will allow them to receive care from physicians who are now licensed in both states to provide services to women needing care.

Officials from Planned Parenthood Illinois said since the high court’s decision last month, they have seen a 10-fold increase of women from Wisconsin, who are now traveling across the border to receive abortion services.

After anticipating the fall of Roe v. Wade for more than a year, officials from Planned Parenthood Illinois and Planned Parenthood Wisconsin formalized a partnership on Thursday that will provide medical services for women from Wisconsin who can now cross the border to have a pregnancy terminated without fear of prosecution.

The partnership will continue as long as there is a need to serve patients from Wisconsin and Illinois Planned Parenthood officials anticipate that soon, it will be working to establish similar agreements with other neighboring states where abortion is now illegal.

There are currently 17 Illinois Planned Parenthood clinics around the state that Welch now anticipates will see more traffic since the overturning of Roe. w. Wade. That includes the clinic in Waukegan, Ill., which has been servicing Wisconsin patients since the Supreme Court’s decision.

The Waukegan care center was opened in 2020, Welch said, in anticipation that Roe v. Wade would be overturned. The decision to open the facility was made partly to serve patients in Wisconsin, where there are only four Planned Parenthood clinics, which are located in Milwaukee, Madison, and Sheboygan.

Earlier this year, medical staff members from Wisconsin started training in Illinois as the partnership between Planned Parenthood officials from both states was finalized. Physicians and other staff became licensed in Illinois and a plan went into effect that allowed Wisconsin patients to begin and end their care in their home state.

“This is clear evidence that abortion restrictions and bans do not stop people from having abortions,” Jennifer Welch, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois said Thursday. “Restrictions and bans only make it harder for people to access essential reproductive health care where they live.”

Tanya Atkinson, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said the Supreme Court’s recent decision has been “absolutely devastating” for Wisconsin residents. She said the decision has had devastating consequences for residents who are now forced to travel, in some cases, hundreds of miles for access to reproductive health care or has forced them to remain pregnant.

Prior to the decision, 96 percent of Wisconsin counties did not have reproductive health care centers, which limited access to care for thousands of women, Atkinson said. She said in 2021, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin centers conducted about 5,000 abortions for Wisconsin women.

She said since the Supreme Court decision, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s call load has doubled and patients in the state are now being referred to out-of-state locations for care. Atkinson said that patients there are already struggling with poverty, abuse, or other issues, which makes access to “safe, non-judgmental” abortion care in Illinois even more necessary.

“Despite the devastating impact of this criminal abortion ban, we are grateful to have healthcare options for our patients right next door,” Atkinson said.

Planned Parenthood health centers in Wisconsin continue to provide some medical care to patients along with information and other services, Atkinson said.

Dr. Allison Linton, Planned Parenthood Wisconsin’s associate medical director, called the Supreme Court’s decision “terrifying and heartbreaking” and leaves thousands of women in the state without options for reproductive healthcare moving forward.

“The decision of whether to have a child or not to have a child is deeply personal,” Linton said Thursday. “And it should be left up to the person to make that decision for themselves.”

Linton is now among the Wisconsin healthcare providers who will commute to Illinois to continue to work as part of the new partnership with Illinois. By doing so, patients in Wisconsin will have access to the same providers they saw previously.

That continuity is an important component of the partnership, officials said, as Planned Parenthood officials look to continue to provide necessary care to women.

Conversations between the two states began in 2021 ago as Planned Parenthood officials began to envision how things would change if Roe v. Wade was overturned. Now, with the partnership in place, Illinois officials expect to see an increase of between 20,000 to 30,000 new out-of-state patients coming to Illinois, where abortion will remain legal, Illinois state officials – including Gov. J.B. Pritzker have said.

In Waukegan, Ill. abortion care has doubled since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which officials expect to continue as more women from neighboring states continue to travel to Illinois for healthcare services.

In addition, a Madison doctor this week announced plans to open two abortion clinics in Rockford to allow more access for Wisconsin women to receive the reproductive healthcare they need.

Dr. Dennis Christensen has previously owned and operated women's clinics in Rockford and Milwaukee and is taking steps to expand abortion access in Illinois, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

Officials said Thursday that Planned Parenthood does not have an active partnership with Christensen, but said he is among healthcare providers looking to continue to provide reproductive healthcare for women in states where abortion is now legal.

Together, Planned Parenthood officials from both states said the partnership is critical as officials in Illinois only anticipate more out-of-state patients traveling across borders to receive care. Both agencies plan to provide financial support to cover travel costs to Wisconsin patients, who may find it difficult to pay for medical services now that they need to leave the state to receive care.