MILWAUKEE (SPECTRUM NEWS) — Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI) showed its support for the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that deemed a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics as unconstitutional.
On Monday, the Supreme Court voted 5-4, striking down on the law that required doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The law is similar to a 2016 case in Texas that was also shut down by the Supreme Court.
PPWI previously successfully challenged a similar “admitting privileges” law here in Wisconsin.
President and CEO of PPWI Tanya Atkinson provided the following statement:
“The U.S. Supreme Court has once again made it clear: abortion is healthcare and laws that burden the right to access care while providing no medical benefit are unconstitutional. The Louisiana law struck down here is identical to the law from Texas blocked by the Court in 2016 in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt. A change of personnel on the Court does not change this outcome. This is great news for the people of Louisiana and our patients here. Abortion is safe and legal in Wisconsin.
We know that too many people still face barriers to accessing abortion care, especially here in Wisconsin. PPWI is currently challenging three harmful, medically unnecessary, abortion restrictions in federal court. We are also calling on the State Legislature to pass the Abortion Access Protection Act and repeal our state’s outdated criminal abortion ban from 1849 that outlaws women’s access to all abortion. This law is unenforceable under Roe v. Wade and should be repealed immediately. We must also protect every patient’s right to be treated with dignity and receive accurate medical information by passing common sense legislation like the Respect Women Act.
Today’s ruling is great news for our patients, but our work is not done. While we celebrate today, the fight for reproductive freedom for all is far from over. We will be there fighting every step of the way, until access to basic health care is both a right, and available to everyone — regardless of their race, income, location, or gender identity. Abortion is still safe and legal in Wisconsin and every state in America.”
PPWI has 24 health centers across the state.