Planned Parenthood To Pause Abortions in Wisconsin
Clinics will remain open for other reproductive services.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin facility in Madison, Wis. Bill Martens/WPR
Starting Oct. 1, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin plans to stop offering abortions in the state — at least temporarily.
In a statement, Planned Parenthood cited Medicaid cuts under President Donald Trump’s recently signed tax and spending law. The group said it would “pause” abortion appointments in Wisconsin “while we work on a solution to providing abortion care in Wisconsin.”
This summer, Planned Parenthood sued to block enforcement of Medicaid cuts under the federal budget law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. A judge granted an injunction to temporarily block those cuts, but a federal appeals court lifted the injunction this month.
“Ongoing litigation may once again change what we are allowed to do, and we are closely monitoring the courts and preparing to act the moment we are able to resume care,” Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin spokesperson Stephanie Miller wrote in an email.
Planned Parenthood said it will continue to schedule abortion appointments in Wisconsin through the end of the month.
“We are actively reviewing schedules and working to see as many patients as possible before the law takes effect,” the group said.
For decades, a federal law called the Hyde Amendment has prohibited using federal money to pay for almost all abortions.
But the One Big Beautiful Bill Act went further than that. It classifies a nonprofit that provides abortions as a “prohibited entity,” if that nonprofit got more than $800,000 from Medicaid in fiscal year 2023.
That applies to Planned Parenthood. Under the law, a “prohibited entity” like Planned Parenthood is barred from getting Medicaid reimbursements for any type of reproductive health service, not just abortion.
“The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress passed a law specifically targeting Planned Parenthood to eliminate reproductive health services and abortion access across this country,” Nicole Safar, a senior advisor at Planned Parenthood Wisconsin, said in an interview with WPR.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin gets roughly $24 million a year from Medicaid, making up close to two-thirds of the organization’s budget, Safar said.
Planned Parenthood Wisconsin clinics to remain open for services other than abortion
Safar said the organization believes it will be able to continue receiving Medicaid reimbursements for other services if it halts abortions on Oct. 1, which is the date when the new Medicaid provision is set to take effect.
“We have 22 health centers across the state of Wisconsin, the vast majority of them serving Medicaid enrolled patients, and without that funding, most of those health centers go away,” Safar said.
Safar emphasized that those 22 centers will remain open throughout the state, even after Oct. 1. Those clinics will continue offering reproductive health services, such as contraceptives, cervical cancer screenings, vasectomies, pregnancy tests, sexually transmitted infection testing and postpartum care and referrals, Safar said.
Planned Parenthood has been providing abortions at three Wisconsin clinics, located in Milwaukee, Madison and Sheboygan. Those clinics will remain open after Oct. 1 for services other than abortions.
Two independent clinics will keep providing abortions in Milwaukee
There are also two independent abortion clinics in Wisconsin. Both of those clinics — Care for All and Affiliated Medical Services — are in Milwaukee, and are run by smaller organizations.
Care for All does not get any Medicaid dollars, and will continue to provide abortions, the group’s executive director confirmed. They said the organization is working to expand its capacity to absorb more patients.
Affiliated Medical Services will also keep providing abortions. That clinic is unaffected by the Medicaid changes, an Affiliated Medical Services representative confirmed.
Once it pauses abortions, Safar said Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin will be referring people to Care for All and Affiliated Medical Services in Milwaukee, as well as to Planned Parenthood clinics in Minnesota and Illinois.
“We are confident that we’re going to be able to ensure every patient who needs abortion care will get what they need during this time while we’re trying to figure out how to work through this law,” Safar said.
During a news conference Thursday, Planned Parenthood of Illinois CEO Adrienne White-Faines said Illinois clinics are preparing for an influx of out-of-state patients. White-Faines said Planned Parenthood of Illinois will keep providing abortions, despite the loss of millions in federal funding.
“We are aggressively moving forward to find ways to fill the gaps,” White-Faines told reporters. “We are fortunate that we have some reserves, but we also are working with the donor community.”
She added, “We’re not looking at lay-offs. We’re not looking at closing centers.”
Earlier this year, Planned Parenthood North Central States announced it was closing and consolidating more than a half dozen clinics, including some in Minnesota, because of funding cuts. Although that decision cut down on the number of available providers, it still left multiple Planned Parenthood clinics that provide abortions open in Minnesota.
In Wisconsin, abortion is legal until 20 weeks of pregnancy, after a state Supreme Court order cemented the effects of a lower court ruling.
Safar said Planned Parenthood continues to maintain that the Medicaid provision affecting the organization was illegal.
“You can’t target an individual provider based on the care that they provide,” Safar said.
Meanwhile, the advocacy group Wisconsin Right to Life defended the new Medicaid restrictions.
“Taxpayer dollars should never fund the taking of innocent preborn lives,” Wisconsin Right to Life Executive Director Heather Weininger said in a statement. “Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has long centered its operations around abortion services, and this announcement only confirms that reality. Women and girls facing difficult or unexpected pregnancies deserve compassion, real support, and life-affirming care — and that’s exactly what the pro-life movement is committed to providing.”
Faced with Medicaid cuts, Planned Parenthood to pause abortions in Wisconsin was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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