@wisccore
Initiative at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health that supports and translates rigorous, policy-relevant research on reproductive health, equity, and autonomy in Wisconsin and beyond.
🔍 Want to learn more about telehealth abortion care, shield laws, and barriers to access? 👇🏼
⚖️ Read our latest CORE brief, How shield laws expand abortion access for Wisconsinites: buff.ly/1ZxiCfc
🖥️ Check out our website for the latest information on abortion care in #Wisconsin: buff.ly/O0skRSn
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Despite these (👆🏼) increases, barriers continue to limit abortion access across Wisconsin.🚧 CORE research shows that many Wisconsinites still face significant barriers to getting the abortion care they want due to legal restrictions, cost, travel, or other structural hurdles. More: buff.ly/OhtLe3F
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The latest #WeCount report (buff.ly/T7IBqEO) reveals new findings for abortion care in #Wisconsin:
⬆️ Numbers continue to rise
💻️ Telehealth is playing an increasingly important role
🏥 While most care is still in-person, one-third of recent abortions were via telehealth from shield law providers
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⚖️ This new bill in Wisconsin 👆🏼 would help close that privacy gap to protect people's medical data and address deceptive practices by crisis pregnancy centers.
Learn more about CPCs (there were 60 in Wisconsin as of 2021!) in our CORE brief and infographic:
📄 buff.ly/krk7Gku
🖼️ buff.ly/l7dyDqX
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🏥 CPCs resemble clinics but aren't medical facilities, so they're not legally required to keep clients' information private.
👀 They gather sensitive data through forms, visits, hotlines, and online chats, and have been found to use this data to delay or prevent clients' access to abortion care.
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As many as 15% of Wisconsin women with a history of pregnancy or pregnancy testing have visited a CPC.
CPCs are unregulated organizations that offer counseling, material resources, and other support to pregnant people. Their primary mission is to discourage abortion, not to provide medical care.🚧
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Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced a new bill that would prohibit crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) from disclosing clients’ personal health information without consent.
⚠️📋️ This change would protect the sensitive data of hundreds of Wisconsinites every year.
🔍 Read more: buff.ly/acmy6Ov
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Evidence indicates that telehealth medication abortion from out-of-state shield-law providers has become a fundamental access point for many Wisconsinites — especially given our state’s multiple restrictions that make in-person care hard to access.
📝🔍️ Read more in a new CORE brief: buff.ly/1ZxiCfc
🎉 Congrats to CORE trainee @danamartha.bsky.social on a new publication in @jamahealthforum.com! The study reveals that teens in states with parental involvement laws, like WI, are more likely to seek medication abortion via online telemedicine than those in states without such laws.
The 👆🏼 findings:
🚧 Emphasize the unique challenges disabled individuals face in accessing contraceptive care that aligns with their preferences.
🩺 Call for tailored, person-centered approaches to contraceptive care to help bridge gaps in care for this underserved population.
#TeachingTuesday
💡 Big picture: Nearly 1 in 5 reproductive-age women in the U.S. live with a disability.
The recent study:
🔍 Finds that disabilities are associated with unmet contraceptive wants and needs.
🏥 Describes how historical and ongoing ableism in healthcare compounds this issue.
📝 Read more ⬇️
A recent study found notable differences in contraceptive satisfaction and preferences between disabled and nondisabled individuals. Significantly more disabled people:
🛑 Stopped their contraceptive method due to dissatisfaction
💰 Say that they would use a different method if cost were not a barrier
📢 New from CORE 📢
#Wisconsin law prohibits abortion via telehealth within the formal healthcare system, but shield laws provide an alternative way to access that care.
⚖️ A CORE brief explains how thousands in WI have turned to out‑of‑state clinicians protected by shield laws.
📝 Read: buff.ly/0ywsxJX
On the anniversary of #RoevWade, new #WeCount data shows how abortion care in #Wisconsin continues to shift from before #Dobbs. In the first half of 2025:
📍 65% of abortions happened in brick‑and‑mortar clinics
📱 34% were medication abortions via telehealth from shield‑law providers buff.ly/9oK8nft
The study offers solutions ✅ for healthcare systems to better support clinicians and patients under abortion restrictions: clear, timely guidance for care; legal protection and interpretation; open communication with the public; and showing visible support.
📝 Read the full study: buff.ly/nyKwfXu
Interviews with ob-gyns show that after Dobbs, healthcare institutions:
🕰️ Failed to provide timely, actionable guidance for clinicians
🩺 Made managing miscarriages and pregnancy complications more stressful
🔇 Issued vague or non-existent statements about the ruling’s impact, frustrating physicians
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New CORE research reveals how healthcare institutions, not just laws, play a major role in patient care and clinician experience under abortion restrictions.
The study finds healthcare institutions' inaction after Dobbs increased stress, frustration, and mistrust among physicians. ⬇️ buff.ly/kkQRoz0
A new study finds that 90% of people not using contraception cite personal reasons; just 3% mention access barriers. 🏥
💡 Access matters, but so do autonomy and preference-driven decisions.
📝 Read more in @contraceptionjl.bsky.social from CORE, REAL, and @guttmacher.org researchers! buff.ly/9JTPHRo
More clarity regarding how, when, and where adolescents can access abortion care is important for everyone, including clinicians.
📍 In #Wisconsin, many barriers make abortion access for minors difficult.
Read more in a CORE brief on the topic ➡️ buff.ly/5s3yCfD
The study found that post-Dobbs, clinicians caring for adolescents in abortion-restricted states report:
🩺 Reduced confidence in finding abortion providers
⚖️ Difficulty interpreting state abortion laws
❓ Uncertainty in assisting adolescents with abortion logistics
Graphic in white font on blue and yellow background with UW CORE logo and face icon with straight mouth and question mark. Text reads: "Since the Dobbs decision, many doctors who care for adolescents feel unable to help them get abortion care. Source: Bryson et al., Contraception"
After the Supreme Court's #Dobbs decision, medical providers who treat adolescents don't feel comfortable helping their patients access abortion care, especially in states with abortion restrictions, new research shows. 📝 Read the study: buff.ly/Xghj0sf
#TeachingTuesday
A hearty congratulations to CORE Lab alumna Fiona Weeks, who in January will begin a three-year term as president-elect of the Wisconsin Public Health Association! 🌟 WPHA is dedicated to advancing statewide public policy change to eliminate health inequities. 📊 Proud of you, Fiona!
CORE investigator and ob-gyn clinician Abby Cutler tells @captimes.com that multiple abortion bills introduced in the #Wisconsin Legislature “inject confusion" and shame, complicating and stigmatizing care decisions that are best managed between a medical provider and patient.
📍 The above 👆 study reveals that over half (51%) of Wisconsin counties had a CPC in 2017, while only 3% had an abortion provider. 🚧
🗺️ Other research finds that post-Dobbs, CPCs have grown in both number and funding, especially in states with abortion restrictions: buff.ly/s3kwOUd
⚠️ A CORE brief and infographic detail evidence of how CPCs harm patients: buff.ly/UD9Woi8
🔍 Many CPCs engage in unethical practices.
📋 CPCs cannot ensure client confidentiality due to lack of medical licensing.
❌ They often provide disinformation about abortion risks.
Light pink graphic with black text and UW CORE logo reads "More than 1 in 10 Wisconsinites who have been pregnant have visited a crisis pregnancy center. Source: Yang et al., PLOS One"
14% of reproductive-aged Wisconsinites with a history of pregnancy visited a crisis pregnancy center (CPC) in 2019-20, research shows: buff.ly/eZwH9rh
❌ CPCs aim to convince pregnant people not to have an abortion.
ℹ️ They resemble clinics but lack licensed providers.
#TeachingTuesday
It's Thanks, Birth Control Day!
✔️ Everyone deserves access to the birth control method that works best for their body, life, and goals.
✔️ Removing barriers to contraception improves health outcomes, reduces inequities, and strengthens communities.
📖 CORE resources: buff.ly/cJuXGY1
#ThxBirthControl
CORE colleague Laura Swan also reveals significant socioeconomic barriers to preferred contraception ➡️ buff.ly/qwafYIO
These studies emphasize the need for financial equity, improved quality of care, and accurate, person-centered information to help people meet their contraceptive preferences. 🏥
Costs, logistics, and concerns about side effects and health risks were the main barriers 🚧 to using preferred contraceptive methods.
📈 Healthcare interactions also play a crucial role. Respondents who reported higher-quality contraceptive care 💬 were more likely to be using their preferred method.
Graphic in black and white font on yellow background with UW CORE logo and icon of person with brown skin experiencing stress. Text reads: "More than one-third of Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the U.S. were not using their preferred contraceptive method in a recent study. Source: Wollum et al., Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters"
A recent research survey led by @ibisrh.bsky.social highlights significant barriers 🚧 in accessing preferred contraceptive methods among Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in the U.S.
⚠️ 37% of respondents were not using their method of choice.
Study: buff.ly/FaGHxSw
#TeachingTuesday
