A clinic in Wisconsin has ended medication abortions as a result of a law signed by Governor Scott Walker in April, “The Coercive and Web Cam Abortion Prevention Act,” which puts harsh and ambiguous restrictions on the procedure. The law, also called Act 217, requires women seeking non-surgical abortions to visit the same doctor three times before taking the pill. It also makes the doctor responsible for determining that a woman has not been coerced into an abortion. Additionally, it prohibits the use of web cams (used for physician consult) during medication abortions. Last month, Planned Parenthood announced it would no longer offer medication abortions in Wisconsin as a result of the law. Yesterday, Affiliated Medical Services in Wisconsin made the same announcement. According to RH Reality Check, “it is now impossible to receive a medical abortion from a provider in the state.”
Lisa Subeck, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, said in a press release, “Wisconsin women will suffer because of Governor Walker’s actions. It is unacceptable that women are losing health care options because Walker has put his extreme social agenda ahead of what is best for women’s health. Women lose out when out of control politicians like Scott Walker practice medicine without a license and interfere in the relationship between doctors and their patients.”
Nearly a quarter of abortions in Wisconsin are medication abortions. According to the Guttmacher Institute , ten other states have laws that restrict medication abortions.
RH Reality Check, 5/22/12; Care2 5/22/12; ThinkProgress 5/22/12; NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Press Release 5/22/12; Feminist Daily News Wire 4/23/12
