Requirement for Abortion Providers in Wisconsin Is Blocked by a Federal Judge

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MADISON, Wis. — A federal judge has extended a hold on part of a new Wisconsin law that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, issuing an injunction that blocks the mandate for another four months.

Judge William M. Conley of Federal District Court issued the order on Friday, stemming from a lawsuit that Planned Parenthood and Affiliated Medical Services filed in July. The organizations said the law would force a Planned Parenthood clinic in Appleton and an Affiliated Medical Services clinic in Milwaukee to close because abortion providers at both facilities lacked admitting privileges.

Judge Conley issued a temporary hold on the requirement on July 8. The organizations had asked him to issue the preliminary injunction blocking the requirement through a trial, which is scheduled to begin on Nov. 25.

State lawyers defending the law could ask the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to stay the injunction. A spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Justice Department said in an e-mail that agency lawyers were reviewing the federal court order and were considering their next step.

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