>> PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF
WISCONSIN DELIVERED A BOMBSHELL
THIS WEEK, ANNOUNCING THEY WILL
RESUME ABORTION SERVICES AFTER
THE U.S. SUPREME COURT UPENDED
THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO AN
ABORTION JUST OVER A YEAR AGO.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT COMES DESPITE
EXISTING STATE STATUTE, A LAW
PASSED IN 1849 THAT SAYS ANY
PERSON OTHER THAN THE MOTHER WHO
INTENTIONALLY DESTROYS THE LIFE
OF AN UNBORN CHILD IS GUILTY OF
A FELONY.
AN EXISTING LAWSUIT FROM THREE
PHYSICIANS CHALLENGING THE 1849
LAW IS STILL WORKING ITS WAY
THROUGH CIRCUIT COURT.
IN JULY, A MOTION TO DISMISS THE
LAWSUIT WAS REJECTED.
IN THAT RULING, DANE COUNTY
JUDGE DIANEISH LIPPER WROTE
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THE
BAN IN WISCONSIN.
THE 175-YEAR OLD LAW REFERS TO
FETICIDE, NOT CONSENSUAL
ABORTION.
IT IS UNDER THIS RULING THAT
PLANNED PARENTHOOD BASES ITS
DECISION TO RESUME ABORTION
SERVICES IN MADISON AND
MILWAUKEE.
TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THIS, WE
TURN TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF
WISCONSIN PRESIDENT AND C.E.O.,
TANYA ATKINSON.
AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME,
FREDERICA.
>> SO WHY DOES PLANNED
PARENTHOOD FEEL CONFIDENT THAT
THEY CAN PROVIDE ABORTIONS AGAIN
WITHOUT EVEN A CHANGE IN THE
LAW?
>> WELL, AS YOU POINTED OUT IN
YOUR INTRODUCTION, THE JUDGE WAS
VERY CLEAR THAT THE STATUTE THAT
WAS IN QUESTION DOES NOT APPLY
TO VOLUNTARY ABORTIONS.
WHEN THE RULE WAS OVERTURNED,
THAT WAS UNCLEAR AND PLANNED
PARENTHOOD OF WISCONSIN HAD TO
MAKE THE AGONIZING DECISION TO
SUSPEND ABORTION SERVICES, AND
AT THAT TIME, YOU KNOW, WE MADE
IT VERY CLEAR THAT WE WERE
COMMITTED TO FINDING A PATH
FORWARD TO PROVIDING THAT
ESSENTIAL CARE AGAIN.
THERE WERE TWO PATHS.
ONE IS A LEGISLATIVE PATH THAT'S
NOT AVAILABLE.
THE SECOND IS A LEGAL PATH, AND
WITH THE RULINGS IN THE DANE
COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT, THAT LEGAL
PATH IS NOW THERE AND WE'RE
MAINTAINING OUR COMMITMENT TO
RESUME SERVICES.
>> DO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH THAT'S
A PATH OR A WINDOW AT THIS
POINT, GIVEN THAT THE CASE
CONTINUES?
>> WELL, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE
CASE HAS NOT CONCLUDED.
HOWEVER, TWICE NOW, THE JUDGE
HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR, AND ALSO
REFERENCING A DECISION IN THE
'90s FROM THE STATE SUPREME
COURT, SO IT'S BEEN MADE VERY
CLEAR THAT THE LAW DOES NOT
APPLY TO VOLUNTARY ABORTIONS, SO
WE'VE RECEIVED THE CLARIFICATION
THAT WE NEED AND, YOU KNOW,
WE'LL MOVE FORWARD.
OF COURSE SHOULD ANYTHING HAPPEN
IN THE FUTURE, UNEXPECTED, WE'LL
ADDRESS IT AT THIS TIME.
BUT AS FAR AS WE'RE CONCERNED,
WE'RE VERY CONFIDENT AND THE LAW
HAS BEEN CLARIFIED.
>> YOU SAID THAT THIS WAS NOT A
POLITICAL DECISION BUT A MEDICAL
ONE.
HOW SO?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WE'VE
RECEIVED A LOT OF QUESTIONS
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE SITUATIONS
THAT ARE HAPPENING, YOU KNOW,
WITH THE DISCUSSIONS REGARDING
THE SUPREME COURT AND THE STATE
LEGISLATURE, YOU KNOW, AND WE
RECOGNIZE THAT THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT'S HAPPENING IN THE
BACKGROUND.
OUR COMMITMENT WAS TO PROVIDE
CARE AGAIN AS SOON AS WE COULD
AND SO REGARDLESS OF WHATEVER
THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE THAT ARE
HAPPENING, YOU KNOW, IN OUR
LEGISLATURE, THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY
A HEALTHCARE DECISION AND NOT A
POLITICAL DECISION.
>> WHAT KINDS OF ABORTIONS WILL
BE PROVIDED?
>> SO WE'LL RESUME THE CARE THAT
WE WERE PROVIDING PRIOR TO THE
RULE FALLING, SO WE'LL BE
PROVIDING BOTH IN-CLINIC AND
MEDICATION ABORTIONS.
>> AND AGAIN, IF A COURT MOVES
TO BLOCK ABORTIONS, THEN YOU
WILL HAVE TO DO LIKE YOU DID
THAT DAY AND KIND OF USHER
PATIENTS WHO HAD ARRIVED ALREADY
OUT OF YOUR CLINIC?
>> YEAH.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF WISCONSIN
ALWAYS FOLLOWS THE LETTER OF THE
LAW, AND AS YOU'VE POINTED OUT,
WHEN ROE FELL, WE DID HAVE
PEOPLE IN OUR WAITING ROOMS AND
WE VERY UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO LET
THEM KNOW THAT WE COULD NOT
PROVIDE THAT CARE THAT DAY AND
INSTEAD TRY TO FIND THEM ANOTHER
PLACE WHERE THEY COULD RECEIVE
THAT CARE.
SO SHOULD SOMETHING HAPPEN IN
THE FUTURE, OF COURSE, WE WILL
CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE LETTER OF
THE LAW.
>> HOW WILL YOU REASSURE OR DO
YOU FEEL THAT YOU NEED TO
REASSURE PATIENTS THAT THEY
WON'T GET IN TROUBLE?
>> I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE WILL --
WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED THAT
QUESTION A LOT, AND CERTAINLY WE
HAVE A LOT OF EDUCATION
SERVICES, BOTH IN OUR HEALTH
CENTERS AND IN THE COMMUNITY SO
WE'LL CONTINUE TO LIFT THAT UP,
AND IT'S NOT A QUESTION THAT
WE'VE RECEIVED SINCE THE
ANNOUNCEMENT, AND IT'S ALWAYS
SOMETHING THAT WE'RE COMMITTED
TO, IS ONGOING PATIENT
EDUCATION.
>> YESTERDAY, YOUR CLINIC
STARTED SCHEDULING APPOINTMENTS
FOR MONDAY.
HAVE YOU GOTTEN A LOT OF CALLS?
>> WE HAVE.
WE HAVE RECEIVED A LOT OF CALLS
AND WE HAVE APPOINTMENTS SET UP
IN BOTH MADISON AND MILWAUKEE.
>> SO WHEN YOUR CLINICS CEASED
ABORTIONS LAST YEAR, DID YOU
IMAGINE THIS IS HOW SERVICES
WOULD RESUME?
>> WE KNEW THAT THERE WAS --
THAT THE LEAV LEGISLATIVE PATH
FORWARD WAS A NARROW PATH, IF IT
WAS THERE, SO WE RECOGNIZED THAT
THE LEGAL PATH FORWARD WAS
SOMETHING WE REALLY NEEDED TO
ATTEND TO, SO I THINK THAT, YOU
KNOW, HOW EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, THE
WORDS AND THE TRAJECTORY AND,
YOU KNOW, WE OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T
KNOW THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
WAS GOING TO FILE A LAWSUIT, WE
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE DANE COUNTY
CIRCUIT COURT WAS GOING TO SAY,
SO WE DIDN'T HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL
ON THOSE SPECIFIC ACTIONS.
WE DID UNDERSTAND THAT OUR BEST
COURSE FORWARD WAS A LEGAL -- A
LEGAL ONE.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE LEAVE IT THERE.
TONYA ATKINSON OF PLANNED