Planned Parenthood to Resume Providing Abortions in Wisconsin

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said Thursday it would resume abortion care services early next week after a state court ruled that a 174-year-old criminal law does not outlaw the procedure. “A ruling by the Dane County Circuit Court in July made it clear that the 1849 law is not enforceable for voluntary abortions,” Tanya Atkinson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said in a video statement. “In consultation with attorneys, physicians, partners and stakeholders, Planned Parenthood Wisconsin is confident in our decision to resume abortion care in Wisconsin.” The judge’s July ruling, prompted by a suit filed by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and state Attorney General Josh Kaul, found that the 1849 law in question does not outlaw medical abortions, but instead anyone who attacks a pregnant woman and kills her unborn child. Evers, a Democrat, called Planned Parenthood’s Thursday announcement “critically important news for Wisconsin women,” and said that the fight to restore reproductive rights in the state “must continue.”