Findings from the Reproductive Health Experiences and Access (RHEA) Study offer evidence that Wisconsin’s abortion restrictions—particularly the requirements that patients wait 24 hours between receiving in-person counseling and abortion care and that only physicians provide abortions—create barriers for women seeking abortion and constrain providers’ ability to deliver evidence-based care.

As part of the RHEA study, we visited Wisconsin in summer 2025, conducting seven interviews with policymakers, health care providers, and advocates, and three focus groups with 13 women ages 18 to 49.* We identified key findings (PDF) through systematic thematic analysis of our interview and focus group data.

To help state and local leaders and practitioners understand what’s at risk in Wisconsin, we share these key findings below. Though our research reflects participants’ experiences and may not be generalizable, this qualitative approach provides valuable insights into how people experience abortion restrictions and illuminates barriers to care that may not be captured in quantitative data.

There are many barriers to abortion care in Wisconsin

In 2015, Wisconsin banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (PDF) decision in June 2022, an 1849 statute interpreted as a total ban took effect. After 15 months, a lower court decision allowed clinics to resume care in September 2023. With the ban lifted, the state’s 20-week gestational limit again became—and remains—governing law. The Wisconsin Supreme Court officially struck down the 1849 law in July 2025.

But the state still has numerous abortion restrictions in place, including a 24-hour waiting period and physician-only requirement. Research consistently shows no evidence that waiting period laws are medically necessary or that they affect patients’ certainty about their decision to have an abortion. And limiting abortion care to physicians means advanced practice clinicians—like nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse midwives—can’t provide these services, despite strong evidence that it is safe and effective to do so. (Twenty-five states permit advanced practice clinicians to provide abortions.)

In addition to these laws, the state also requires ultrasounds, in-person counseling, in-person medication abortion prescriptions, and parental consent for minors. And for medication abortion, the same physician must conduct both appointments in person.

As we discuss below, RHEA Study findings indicate that these abortion restrictions harm access to care in the state.

We found that access to abortion care in Wisconsin is limited, and people seeking care encounter numerous obstacles

As of October 2026, there are five abortion clinics in the state, and all of them are in the southeast region. Three are in Milwaukee, one is in Madison, and one is in Sheboygan. Four clinics provide care up to the 20-week limit, and one offers medication abortion only, meaning it provides care up to around 12 weeks of pregnancy. As a result, many people have to travel far to receive care.

Interviewees emphasized that affordability is one of the most common barriers to accessing abortion care, and the 24-hour waiting period worsens financial strain because patients have to stay overnight or make two trips.

“Most people coming to us need help paying for transportation.… We don’t have the capacity to do that. We have a lot of people who no-show or reschedule. We tell them they can bring their kids. There was a mom who came with her four kids and they stayed in a hotel overnight. That is a lot.”—Clinic staff member

Providers and advocates also reported that many people who live in Wisconsin travel to Minnesota or Illinois for abortion care—even when they’re within 20 weeks of pregnancy—because these states don’t have restrictive laws. One advocate explained that people see traveling to these states as “a less burdensome process” than accessing care in Wisconsin.

“People in [the western part of the state] go to Minnesota for care.… The reason why they are not able to access care in their community is that the laws in Wisconsin make it so restrictive that it makes it hard to operationalize.”—Advocate

Providers and clinic staff members said the physician-only requirement reduces capacity to provide care

Because physicians have to see each patient twice, appointment availability is cut in half. One clinic staff member said, “It makes things more expensive because it takes [the physician’s] time away. It makes it hard to do this.”

Interviewees also expressed frustration that the state’s restrictive abortion laws are not based in medical evidence, so providers can’t care for their patients as they were trained.

“None of it is evidence based and, as a doctor, you are trained to do what is best from a medical standpoint and what is best for the client. A lot of the things [the physician] has to do are not in the client’s best interest. It is this paternalistic thing of ‘not knowing what you want and having 24 hours to think about it.’”—Clinic staff member

Many focus group participants were confused about the legality of abortion care in Wisconsin

Several believed they would have to travel to Minnesota or Illinois to receive care because they thought it wasn’t accessible in Wisconsin (PDF). One participant said, “If [I were to need an abortion] right now, I’d go to Minnesota, but I’d still be scared about whether this will get me in trouble when I come home.”

Focus group participants and providers valued autonomy

Two focus group participants said that Wisconsin abortion laws infringed on their bodily autonomy. They both called for policy change, with one saying, “I believe the government should not… tell you what you can and can’t do with your body.… Why are we restricting access to any type of care to women?”

“We have to put policies in place to make sure politicians can’t make decisions about our bodies.” —Focus group participant

These findings demonstrate that Wisconsin’s waiting period and physician-only requirements—and other restrictions—make it harder for people to access and afford abortion care in Wisconsin. Removing these restrictions could mitigate barriers to abortion care, allow providers to deliver evidence-based care, and increase people’s autonomy over their reproductive health decisions.

*The RHEA focus groups consist of people assigned female at birth.