Court Overturns 1849 Abortion Ban, Allowing Planned Parenthood to Resume Services in Wisconsin

Planned Parenthood will resume providing abortion services in Wisconsin after a state court ruled that a 174-year-old criminal law does not ban the procedure. The decision comes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal constitutional protections for abortion, raising uncertainty in Wisconsin. The state's governor and attorney general, both Democrats, filed a lawsuit challenging the 1849 law, and a judge ruled in July that it does not prohibit consensual medical abortions. The litigation is ongoing and may reach the state Supreme Court, where liberals hold a majority. Democrats in the state legislature have also introduced a bill to repeal the 1849 ban.