MILWAUKEE — Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is set to resume abortion care services at two of its clinics this week. 

The nonprofit announced last Thursday that starting Monday, Sept. 18, services will resume at the Water Street Health Center in Milwaukee and the Madison East Health Center in Madison.

Dane County Circuit Judge Diane Schlipper ruled in July that the state’s 173-year-old abortion ban outlaws killing fetuses but doesn’t apply to consensual medical abortions. Schlipper said the legal language in the ban doesn’t use the term “abortion,” so the law only prohibits attacking a woman in an attempt to kill her unborn child.

“With patients and community as our central priority and driving force, we are eager to resume abortion services and provide this essential care to people in our State,” said Tanya Atkinson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. “With the recent confirmation from the Court that there is not an enforceable abortion ban in Wisconsin, our staff can now provide the full scope of sexual and reproductive health care to anyone in Wisconsin who needs it, no matter what.”

Planned Parenthood stopped abortion services in June 2022 after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit in Dane County days after it was overturned, looking to repeal the ban.

“I’ve been clear from the beginning that I would fight to restore reproductive freedom in our state with every power and every tool we have, and I’ve spent every day over the last year doing just that,” Gov. Tony Evers said. “Today’s announcement from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin as a result of our lawsuit regarding Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban means Wisconsinites will once again be able to access vital reproductive healthcare and abortion services without exception for the first time since June of last year. This is critically important news for Wisconsin women and patients across our state who, for a year now, have been unable to access the healthcare they need when and where they need it."

Most of Wisconsin's closest neighboring states — Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan — have maintained that abortion is generally legal up to at least 24 weeks of pregnancy. 

Planned Parenthood clinics in Illinois, where abortion has remained widely available, have seen a seven-fold increase of patients from neighboring Wisconsin since the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2022 abortion ruling, according to Planned Parenthood of Illinois.

Julaine Appling, president of the anti-abortion group Wisconsin Family Action, called the move “audacious” and said the state ban remains in effect.

“No court has ruled that it is not enforceable,” Appling said. “It is still illegal in most instances for anyone to do an abortion in Wisconsin. So what the governor and Planned Parenthood are doing is promoting an illegal activity. Unfortunately, this illegal activity is life taking because it’s the intentional killing of an unborn child.”

Gracie Skogman, Wisconsin Right to Life's legislative director, issued a statement saying:

“This is a devastating day for preborn children and women facing unexpected pregnancies in Wisconsin. Planned Parenthood is once again showing that they value profit over the lives of vulnerable women and children. Abortion is not healthcare, it takes the lives of innocent children and leaves many women with unspeakable pain and suffering."

Patients can now begin booking appointments at either location by visiting ppwi.org or calling (844) 493-1052.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.