MILWAUKEE — Obstetrician-gynecologist and reproductive health advocate Dr. Kristin Lyerly joined “Point Taken” Tuesday to shed light on Wisconsin’s evolving abortion landscape.
Currently, abortion remains legal in Wisconsin up to 20 weeks of pregnancy, but access to care has been thrown into question following a recent decision by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to suspend abortion services. As of October 1st, 2025, the organization halted abortion services as it determines how to move forward under President Donald Trump’s recently enacted tax and spending bill, a provision of which deprives Planned Parenthood and its members of Medicaid funding.
Only 4% of Planned Parenthood’s services are abortion-related, according to Dr. Lyerly. She emphasizes the other services Planned Parenthood offers, including family planning, STI screening, contraception, cancer screening, and preventive care.
During her interview, Dr. Lyerly traced the issue of accessibility back to long-standing institutional decisions from hospitals and medical systems choosing to separate abortion services in the name of avoiding public controversy and potential protests. She explained that “this has just kind of been a culture thing that has developed over the years since Roe.”
“The bright side is my professional organization has recently written a very strongly worded statement saying that hospitals and hospital systems need to provide doctors the autonomy to be able to provide this kind of patient care,” says Dr. Lyerly. “I think we’re moving back in that direction, but it’s not going to be fast. It’s going to be a long, slow process.”
Planned Parenthood officials have said they are working to restore full reproductive health services, but no timeline has been announced.
Dr. Lyerly says there are two clinics in Milwaukee still providing abortion services: Care for All and Affiliated.
Point Taken airs weekly on 620 WTMJ, bringing together experts and community voices to explore pressing issues in Wisconsin and beyond.
