MADISON, WI – All Planned Parenthood locations in Wisconsin will pause scheduling abortion services starting Oct. 1 after President Donald Trump’s recently enacted tax and spending bill deprived Planned Parenthood and its members of Medicaid funding.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin stressed that the move is a temporary hold while the issue works its way through the courts and providers work to determine how to continue services within the current legal landscape.
In the days leading up to the pause, the organization said it is coordinating with providers throughout Wisconsin and working to see as many patients as possible before the federal law takes effect, ensuring patients are “referred swiftly and receive timely, compassionate care with as little delay as possible.”
“Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is – and always will be – focused on putting our patients first. Our commitment is unwavering: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin will continue to provide the full spectrum of reproductive health care – including abortion – as soon as we are able to,” Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin president and CEO Tanya Atkinson said in a statement. “In the meantime, we are pursuing every available option – through the courts, through operations, and civic engagement.”
The pause on abortion scheduling comes just a little more than two years after Planned Parenthood announced that it would resume providing abortions in Wisconsin, after 15 months of legal limbo following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.
Supporters of Planned Parenthood and other advocates rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 2, 2025.
How Trump’s tax and spending law impacts Planned Parenthood
Trump’s sweeping bill, signed into law in July, includes a one-year measure barring clinics that provide abortions from accepting Medicaid for any of their other reproductive services. That provision means Planned Parenthood patients would not be able to use Medicaid coverage for other health care services, including obtaining contraception, testing for sexually transmitted infections, cancer screenings, menopause management and postpartum care.
Using federal dollars to pay for most abortions has been illegal for decades, under the 1976 Hyde Amendment.
“This is a direct result of Donald Trump’s Big Ugly Bill,” said Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in a statement posted on X. “It wasn’t enough to terminate health care for millions of Americans; they’re coming after Wisconsin women’s reproductive rights and freedoms, too.”
Under Trump’s law, about 200 Planned Parenthood clinics in the U.S. – one-third of its network – face potential closure, the organization has said.
Three of Wisconsin’s 24 Planned Parenthood clinics, in Madison, Milwaukee and Sheboygan, provide abortions. The Sheboygan clinic provides medication abortions only, while the other two also offer surgical abortions.
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in July blocking enforcement of the abortion-related provision, finding the law likely violated the Constitution by targeting Planned Parenthood’s health centers specifically as punishment for providing abortions. But a federal appeals court on Sept. 11 put that injunction on hold, making the provision enforceable again pending further legal action.
Officials with Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said they are “closely monitoring the courts and preparing to act the moment we are able to resume care.”
The provision against abortion providers does not mention Planned Parenthood by name, but the organization argues it was “crafted specifically to penalize Planned Parenthood and the patients we serve.”
More: Donald Trump’s megabill could mean closure for a third of Planned Parenthood clinics
Wisconsin Right to Life executive director Heather Weininger said the organization’s move “only confirms that … Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has long centered its operations around abortion services.”
“Taxpayer dollars should never fund the taking of innocent preborn lives,” Weininger said in a statement. “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.”
Planned Parenthood serves about 50,000 people across Wisconsin, about 60% of whom are covered by Medicaid. The organization is what’s known as a safety net provider, meaning it sees patients regardless of their ability to pay, and can often get them in for an appointment within days. That’s a stark contrast from typical wait times for a new patient appointment at other types of clinics, which can average more than a month.
The Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Inc. clinic at 1710 S. 7th St. in Milwaukee.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to pause abortions
