STATE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROFILE
Wisconsin
NATIONAL BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Despite the demonstrable importance and ubiquity of contraception, the truth is that ensuring that every pregnancy is wanted and planned is difficult, at both the individual and the societal levels. For the typical American woman to have two children, she will spend about five years pregnant, postpartum or attempting to become pregnant, and three decades�more than three-quarters of her reproductive life�trying to avoid pregnancy. Not all women, however, are successful: About half of all pregnancies in the United States each year�more than three million of them�are unintended. By age 45, more than half of all American women will have experienced an unintended pregnancy, and about one-third will have had an abortion. Nonetheless, contraceptive use can and does dramatically reduce women�s odds of having an unintended pregnancy.
DEMOGRAPHICS
- In 2008, there were 1,185,600 women of reproductive age (aged 13-44) in Wisconsin, 630,500 of whom were in need of contraceptive services and supplies. Of these:
- AGE: 93,300 were under the age of 20 and 537,200 were aged 20-44.
- INCOME: Among women aged 20-44, 59,600 were below 100% of the federal poverty level.
- RACE/ETHNICITY: 517,900 were non-Hispanic white; 47,600 were non-Hispanic black; and 34,700 were Hispanic.
- In 2008, there were 282,000 women in Wisconsin in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies. Of these, 93,300 were in need of publicly supported services because they were sexually active teenagers, and 188,700 because they had incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- In 2010-2011, 11% of women aged 15-44 in Wisconsin were uninsured, while 19% were enrolled in Medicaid.
For more information, see Contraceptive Needs and Services, 2006
PREGNANCIES, BIRTHS AND ABORTIONS
- In 2008, there were 95,800 pregnancies to the 1,118,511 women of reproductive age (15-44) in Wisconsin; 75% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 9% in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 45% of pregnancies in Wisconsin were unintended. There were 45,000 unintended pregnancies to women in Wisconsin, producing a rate of 40 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- Of all unintended pregnancies in Wisconsin in 2006, 62% resulted in live births and 25% resulted in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 52% of births in Wisconsin resulting from unintended pregnancies were publicly funded, compared with 36% of all births and 26% of births resulting from intended pregnancies.
- Of the 26,100 publicly funded births in Wisconsin in 2006, 14,300 resulted from unintended pregnancies.
- Births resulting from unintended pregnancies in Wisconsin accounted for $157 million in public costs in 2006, including $91 million in federal costs and $67 million in state costs.
- In 2008, 8,230 women obtained abortions in Wisconsin, producing a rate of 7.4 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Some of these women were from other states, and some Wisconsin residents had abortions in other states, so this rate may not reflect the abortion rate of state residents. The rate declined 13% since 2005, when it was 8.5 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Wisconsin represents 0.7% of all abortions in the United States.
- In 2005, 9,870 Wisconsin residents obtained abortions, producing a rate of 8.8 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- In 2008, there were 8,990 pregnancies to Wisconsin teens aged 15-19; 67% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 18% in induced abortions.
- In 2008, 1,590 teens obtained abortions in Wisconsin, producing a rate of 8 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-19.
- In 2008, there were 9 abortion providers in Wisconsin. This represents a 0% increase from 2005, when there were 9 abortion providers.
- In 2008, 93% of Wisconsin counties had no abortion provider; 63% of Wisconsin women lived in these counties.
For more information, see State Facts About Abortion
PUBLICLY FUNDED CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES
- In 2006 in Wisconsin, 122 publicly funded family planning centers provided contraceptive care to 120,900 women�including 38,800 teenagers.
- Family planning clinics in Wisconsin served 41% of all women in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies in 2008.
- In Wisconsin, $183 in public funds was spent on contraceptive services and supplies per woman in need in 2008.
- In Wisconsin, 22 family planning centers that received some support through the federal Title-X family planning program provided contraceptive care to 54,000 women�including 16,100 teenagers in 2006.
- Title-X-supported centers in Wisconsin served 19% of all women in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies in 2008.
For more information, see Contraceptive Needs and Services, 2006
IMPACT OF PUBLICLY FUNDED CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES
- Publicly funded family planning services help women to avoid pregnancies they do not want and to plan pregnancies they do. In 2008, these services helped women in Wisconsin avoid 24,300 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 10,800 unintended births and 10,100 abortions.
- Contraceptive services provided at Title X-supported centers in Wisconsin helped prevent 10,800 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 4,800 unintended births and 4,500 abortions.
- The services provided at publicly funded family planning centers in Wisconsin saved the federal and state governments $94,311,000 in 2008.
For more information, see Next Steps for America's Family Planning Program
STATE POLICIES
Policy Summary Table, as of April 1st, 2013
| ABORTION | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Abortion Policy in the Absence of Roe v. Wade | |
| Pre-Roe abortion ban still in place |
|
| Abortion Counseling and Waiting Periods | |
| Mandated counseling includes information designed to discourage abortion |
|
| State imposes waiting period between counseling and abortion | 24 hours |
| Woman must make two trips: one for abortion counseling and another for the procedure |
|
| Parental Involvement in Minors' Abortions | |
| Parent must consent to an abortion | One parent |
| Restrictions on Private Insurance Coverage of Abortion | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Public Funding of Abortion for Poor Women | |
| Public funding is available in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest | Also for physical health threat. |
| Refusal Clauses for Abortion Services | |
| Medical professionals may refuse |
|
| Medical institutions may refuse | All institutions |
| ADOLESCENTS | |
|
|
| Minors' Consent to Contraceptive Services | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Minors' Consent to STI Services | |
| All or some minors explicitly permitted to consent | All minors |
| Parental Involvement in Minors' Abortions | |
| Parent must consent to an abortion | One parent |
| Sex Education | |
| Sex education must either stress or cover abstinence | Stress |
| State mandates STI/HIV education |
|
| STI/HIV education must either stress or cover abstinence | Stress |
| CONTRACEPTION SERVICES AND FINANCING | |
|
|
| Emergency Contraception in Emergency Rooms | |
| Information must be provided |
|
| Medication must be provided on request |
|
| Private Insurance Coverage of Contraceptive Services | |
| Insurance coverage mandated |
|
| Medicaid Family Planning Expansions | |
| Eligibility for Medicaid family planning based on income | 300% Federal Poverty Level |
| Contraceptive Access in Pharmacies | |
| Pharmacists or pharmacies must provide contraceptives | Pharmacies |
| Refusal Clauses for Contraceptive Services | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Minors' Consent to Contraceptive Services | |
| No policy in effect | |
For more information, see State Policies in Brief