University Health Services Refers Students to Planned Parenthood, AbortionFinder.org
Student segregated fees fund transgender and abortion-related services
Student segregated fees, which UW-Madison students must pay in addition to their tuition, fund transgender health consultations through University Health Services.
UHS Executive Director Jake Baggott told The Madison Federalist, “University Health Services (UHS) is largely funded through student segregated fees. The services UHS offers are determined by student needs and best-practices in the field of college health.”
UHS provides medical care to UW students, often at no cost. While most services, such as treating acne or back pain, are noncontroversial, others are more unorthodox.
On its website, UHS says it offers “gender-affirming hormone therapy,” though it is unclear whether student fees fund this. UHS does clearly state that segregated fees support “limited individual counseling, group counseling, clinic visits, and more.”
Informational sheets for “estrogen-based hormonal care” and “testosterone-based hormonal care” are also listed.
The Madison Federalist asked UHS to clarify what transgender and gender-diverse healthcare is funded using student segregated fees, but Baggott simply stated “UHS offers a spectrum of medical, prevention, and mental health services to all students, including transgender and gender-diverse students.”
The UHS website also refers students to Planned Parenthood and abortionfinder.org for those seeking “safe” abortion services and says UHS provides “pregnancy option counseling/referrals.”
The Federalist asked if students can receive guidance on how to obtain an abortion that is not medically necessary through UHS. Baggott said, “UHS offers gynecology services as part of its medical care and provides referrals for care beyond UHS’s scope.”
Baggot continued, “Our student body is a global community with varied beliefs, cultural backgrounds, gender identities and sexual orientations. Through this lens, we provide competent health care while addressing their individual needs.”
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty attorney Skylar Croy warned that the university’s decision to fund these services using student segregated fees is concerning.
“UW-Madison's segregated fees have been the subject of legal challenge. [See Board of Regents of Univ. of Wis. Sys. v. Southworth] In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that UW could use a segregated fee to fund extracurricular activities (student clubs, etc.) if funding is given out in a viewpoint neutral manner.”
He continued, “Notably, this precedent has been called into question, but even under it, UW needs to provide the pro-life equivalent of, e.g., abortion counseling services if a student asks. Yet it apparently has nothing on its website about such alternatives.”
After the publication of this article, UHS Associate Director of Marketing & Health Communication Sarah Glapa sent an email that noted, “UHS provides resources [and] referrals for all pregnancy options, including adoption, prenatal care, fertility care, genetic counseling, and more. This information is available on our website.”
While Planned Parenthood and abortionfinder.org are listed on the primary Gynecology page, other pregnancy options are listed on a separate Pregnancy Resources page.
Croy concluded, “UW should strongly consider getting out of the segregated fee business altogether. Besides being legally questionable (and opening up the school to lawsuits), forcing a student to fund another's abortion-related expenses raises profound ethical questions. The Wisconsin Legislature should look at this issue.”
UHS previously faced controversy after a Madison Federalist investigation revealed that its SexWise module contained a link to a pornographic website.
UW-Madison students will vote on a nonbinding referendum to increase funding to University Health Services next month.
This article has been updated to include comment from Sarah Glapa.
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