Induced abortion reporting – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 69.186

Induced Abortion Reporting

This law requires that before January 15^th of every year, each hospital, clinic or facility in which an induced abortion is performed file an annual report on the induced abortions performed in the previous year with the department of health services.  The law lists a number of data elements that must be included in these reports with respect to each patient obtaining an induced abortion:  state of residence, patient number, race, age, marital status, month and year in which abortion was induced, education, number of weeks since last menstrual period, how the abortion was induced, complications, and in the case of a minor patient, information about consent.

The law requires that the department collect this information in a manner that protects the anonymity of patients who receive induced abortions, the health care provider who performed the procedure and the hospital/clinic/facility where the procedure was performed.  The department is required to publish an annual summary of the information obtained about induced abortions, but it may not disclose any information that reveals the identity of any of the patients, providers or facilities by using the following precautions:  using the patient number only for collection and not reproducing this information for any reason, and immediately destroying all submitted reports after information is extrapolated for use in the annual public summary.