Wisconsinites Still Traveling for Abortions, According to Data

MADISON, Wis. – A report compiled by the office of Senator Tammy Baldwin shows the impact overturning Roe v. Wade has in Wisconsin. 

On June 24, 2022 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Their ruling essentially overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that allowed abortion nationwide. 

That meant abortion laws now differed widely from state to state. Wisconsin had an abortion ban on the books from 1849. That became the ruling law. 

More people started traveling for abortions. According to data from the Guttmacher Institute, before the Dobbs decision, only 16% of abortion patients in Wisconsin got care in another state. 

In September 2023, a Dane County judge ruled that the 1849 ban does not apply to consensual abortion. That allowed Planned Parenthood Wisconsin staff to feel like they had legal standing to resume the procedure, and they did. 

Wisconsin abortion clinics are only providing about 62% of the procedures they did before the Dobbs decision. 

In 2023, 88% of Wisconsin abortion patients went to other states. Even after abortions were legally performed in Wisconsin again, that means a portion of patients still chose to go elsewhere. 

“In many places in Wisconsin, it is easier and quicker to access abortion care in another state,” according to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. 

Staff from the Chicago Abortion Fund said since June 2022, they’ve helped 2,000 Wisconsinites get abortions in Illinois. 

Under Wisconsin law, people seeking abortions must have counseling and an ultrasound, then wait 24 hours before the procedure. Illinois does not require a waiting period or an ultrasound. 

Despite the efforts of lawmakers passing abortion restrictions and bans, the number of abortions performed in America actually rose in 2023. The Guttmacher Institute reports there were an estimated 1.03 million abortions last year, the highest number in a decade.