A Crisis in Access to Hospital-Based Abortion Services in Wisconsin
In 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in the landmark decision Roe v. Wade. This decision brought an end to decades of terror for American women - prior to Roe, unable to turn to their physicians for help, tens of thousands of desperate women sought illegal abortions each year. More than 5,000 women lost their lives each year as a result of back-alley abortions. Many more struggled with infection and infertility resulting from abortion by untrained providers in unsanitary conditions. These women suffered needlessly - first trimester abortion in a hospital or clinic setting is ten teims safer than childbirth today. Despite this grim history, reporductive freedom is again under siege today. Reporductive choice is more threatened today both in Wisconsin and nationwide than at any time since 1973. The number of abortion clinics in Wisconsin has decreased from 16 to 4. In the last decade, the number of abortion providers in our state has declined from 16 to just four, in Madison, Milwaukee and Appleton. The provider at one of these clinics travels to Wisconsin from Washington state each week to ensure that the only clinic outside of Milwaukee and Madison can continue to provide abortions. 93% of the counties in Wisconsin lack an abortion provider. The vast majoirty of Wisconsin women must drive a great distance to reach one of the few remaining clinics. The importance of hospital-based abortion services Many rural and low-income women rely on their community hospitals for most health care needs. Hospital based abortion services might alleviate some burden for women isolated form the few clinics in Wisconsin. Additionally, hospital-based abortion services are particularly important for lower-income women for whom the drive to Milwaukee, Madison or Appleton, and the implied time away fromt heir families and jobs, may be insurmountable barriers to accessing abortion. There are no hospital-based abortion services in Wisconsin A report released by the Wisconsin Reproductive Access Project of the NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Foundation confirms one of the worst fears of Wisconsin’s pro-choice majority: there is no hospital-based elective abortion in our state. Not a single respondent to WRAP's formal written survey reported a hospital policy expressly permitting elective abortions. In fact, most respondents reported hospital policies specifically prohibiting elective abortions. Additionally, only two respondents reported hospital policies permitting "therapeutic" abortion. Elective abortion is not available in any of the responding hospitals. Hospital staff are unwilling or unable to refer for abortion services More worrisome still, the majority of hospital staff were unwilling or unable to provide an appropriate referral to a caller inquiring about first trimester elective abortion. In four instances hospital staff referred the project representative to crisis pregnancy centers, typically non-medical facilities that rely on threats, misinformation and intimidation to dissuade women from choosing legal abortion.
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