Marking an important victory for Wisconsin women, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit today rejected the Walker Administration’s efforts to reinstate an unconstitutional restriction on access to abortion. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the decision of U.S. District Court Judge William Conley that the Governor Walker backed admitting privileges law would place an undue burden on women’s access to safe and legal abortion. The three judge panel concurred that the law would not enhance patient safety and would impose an undue burden on women seeking abortion care.
If this law were permitted to take effect, one of the few remaining health centers providing abortion would be forced to close immediately, leaving the others to attempt to absorb the unmet need. This could delay procedures by up to 10 weeks, forcing abortions later in pregnancy, if a woman is able to have one at all.
The medical community agrees that requiring admitting privileges does not increase patient safety. Legal abortion is one of the safest medical procedures in the United States. Admitting privileges do not hasten a patient’s care and are not required for any other medical procedure in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Medical Society joined the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association in a friend of the court brief explaining why the admitting privileges law does not enhance patient safety. In addition, the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the Wisconsin Public Health Association, the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians, the Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards, and the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health all oppose Wisconsin’s admitting privileges statute.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and another women’s health care provider, Affiliated Medical Services, are represented by attorneys from Cullen Weston Pines & Bach, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the American Civil Liberties Union.