Wisconsin Planned Parenthood is pausing abortions. What does that mean for Minnesota?
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Planned Parenthoods around Minnesota and the Midwest could see an influx of patients after Wisconsin clinics said they would stop scheduling abortions next week.
Ruth Richardson, CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, said operations in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota aren’t stopping.
“We will continue to provide care in our region, everywhere that it's legal,” she said.
Planned Parenthood attributed its Wisconsin decision to federal cuts to Medicaid in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill. This is the second time abortion services will disappear from Wisconsin since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
“With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we're continuing to see an influx of patients from across the United States,” Richardson said. “We've had more than a 172 percent increase.”
Below is a transcript of Richardson’s conversation with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer, lightly edited for clarity. Listen to the full conversation by clicking the player above.
This is an ongoing legal challenge to this new rule on Medicaid funding, and apparently, Wisconsin's Planned Parenthood clinics just couldn't hold on long enough for a final decision. Can your organization keep the lights on?
Wisconsin is the first state to pause all abortion services since the court reversed the injunction recently that allow Planned Parenthood to bill for Medicaid patient care.
For us at Planned Parenthood North Central States, we have no plans to stop abortion care, and we will continue to provide care in our region, everywhere that's that it's legal.
Are there possibly additional protections, or maybe funding, here in Minnesota that they don't have in Wisconsin that would allow you to continue providing abortions?
Right now, the courts have reversed the injunction, but we know that that's not the final decision on this case. So, the legal fight is definitely not over.
In this period, as we're waiting for this case to resolve, we want our patients to know that those that rely on Medicaid for care, we're not turning any of our patients away. Their health and their well-being— it's our top priority, and we just want patients to know that we are still here fighting for them.
They can come to Planned Parenthood North Central States, and we'll let them know all of the financial options that are available as we wait to see what the court does ultimately with this case.
Are you in a position to take more patients from other states?
It's really important for people to understand that we've been seeing patients from Wisconsin for a number of years. Right after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Wisconsin faced a 15-month ban at that time, and so we definitely saw an increase in the number of patients that were coming from Wisconsin during the time that ban was in place.
That was ultimately lifted in September of 2023, but even with that ban being lifted, we continue to see patients from Wisconsin. In fact, last year in 2024 we served over 400 patients from Wisconsin for abortion care. And with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we're continuing to see an influx of patients from across the United States.
We've had a more than 172 percent increase in the number of patients who are traveling from other states in order to get access to abortion care here in Minnesota, since the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned.
If the judge ultimately sides with the federal government on this, do you think you'll still be able to continue providing abortions?
Yes, we are committed to continuing to provide care. To give you just sort of a snapshot of Medicaid, and what that looks like for Planned Parenthood North Central States — about 30 percent of our patients rely on Medicaid.
When we're thinking about Medicaid, the services that individuals are getting with that care: It's STI testing, it's birth control options, it's cervical cancer screenings, it's access to long-acting, reversible contraception.
Just recognizing with the Hyde Amendment, abortion care is not being covered by the federal government. And so, what's really at risk here are things like cancer screenings and thinking about STI testing and treatment. Those are the types of services that Medicaid covers.
If Medicaid funding is curtailed, is there a model that you can rely on for doing this work into the future without federal Medicaid dollars?
Well, recognizing that just over 30 percent of our patients rely on Medicaid, we have a significant patient population that relies on other insurance options.
So, it's recognizing that for some of the affiliates — and thinking about Wisconsin, for example, they have a higher patient base that is more reliant on Medicaid. And so, in this really difficult moment that we find ourselves in, where there's a lot of manufactured chaos, each organization is having to look and make really difficult decisions within this moment.
And this just isn't the way that healthcare should be. It shouldn't look like this. It's a lot of confusion, not only for our providers, but for our patients as well.
