Associated Press

MADISON – The number of abortions performed in Wisconsin increased for a second straight year in 2018 after eight years of declines, the latest report from the state Department of Health Services shows.

Abortions increased 7% in 2018 over 2017, the report said. There were 6,042 abortions in Wisconsin in 2018, up from 5,640 the year before. That’s nearly double the rate of increase between 2016 and 2017 when abortions went up 3.7%.

The growth is due to there being 539 more medication abortions in 2018 compared with 2017. Planned Parenthood opened a clinic in Sheboygan in May 2018 that offered medication abortions. The number of surgical abortions decreased in 2018 compared to 2017.

The latest report showed that women ages 20 to 24 had 30% of the abortions in 2018, the most of any age group.

The total number of abortions had dropped steadily from 2009 until 2017.

Anti-abortion groups Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Right to Life both decried the increase.

Republicans who control the Legislature passed a number of bills restricting abortion access in recent years. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers last year vetoed for Republican-backed bills designed to limit the number of abortions.