University of Wisconsin-Madison students will no longer have access to local abortion services, as Madison’s East Planned Parenthood clinic will pause performing abortions in October, forcing students seeking care to travel to the closest clinic located in Rockford, Ill. or independent practices in Milwaukee.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI) will temporarily pause abortion services at all their clinics beginning Oct. 1 due to Medicaid cuts from President Donald Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ which barred providers from billing Medicaid as insurance for reproductive health care.
According to abortionfinder, a national website helping people locate abortion providers, the closest clinic to campus providing abortion services is 58.6 miles away in Rockford, Ill. Two independent clinics 75 miles away — Care for All and Affiliated Medical services — both operating in Milwaukee will continue to provide abortions, as one does not receive Medicaid dollars, and the other said they are unaffected by the Medicaid changes.
University Health Services' (UHS) provides gynecology services to students including contraception, pregnancy option counseling and referrals and abortion follow-ups, linking PPWI and abortionfinder on their website.
Andrew O’Donnell, UHS Director of Medical Services, said they are aware PPWI will pause abortion appointments in October, but clarified UHS will “continue to provide counseling and referrals for other available options.”
"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," PPWI 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."
In July, Planned Parenthood sued the Trump Administration, leading a judge to temporarily block enforcement of medicaid cuts under the bill, granting an injunction allowing abortion services to continue through the end of the summer and early fall. The injunction was lifted this month.
The Hyde Amendment has prohibited the use of federal funds for abortions services since 1976 and currently affects 34 states, including Wisconsin, as the other 16 states provide their own funding for abortion services for people enrolled in Medicaid.
The ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ specifically classifies a nonprofit group providing abortions receiving more than $800,000 from Medicaid in the fiscal year 2023 a “prohibited entity,” and no longer allows them to receive Medicaid reimbursement for any type of reproductive health service.
Planned Parenthood clinics in Wisconsin will keep their doors open for services other than abortions such as contraceptives, cervical cancer screenings, pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection tests and vasectomies.
Clara Strecker is the state news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as copy chief. Clara has written in-depth on the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race, the 2024 presidential election and abortion rights. She will spend the summer interning with WisPolitics. Follow her on X at @clara_strecker.
