Wisconsin doctors consider abortion clinic on Illinois border and supercomputing grads are in demand

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·4 min read
A threat is spray painted on the building wall near Wisconsin Family Action's offices in Madison.

Wisconsin doctors consider opening an abortion clinic over the Illinois border if Roe v. Wade is overturned

  • A group of Wisconsin doctors is discussing creating a clinic just over the state's border in Illinois to provide Wisconsin women with close access to abortions if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its landmark ruling that made abortion legal for the last 50 years. The group is looking to one of just a couple of states in the Midwest where abortion access is not expected to diminish or be removed completely if Roe v. Wade is overturned, as a draft Supreme Court opinion leaked last week suggests will happen by summer.

  • Douglas Laube, former chairman of the obstetrics and gynecology department at UW-Madison, began practicing medicine 10 months after Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. He said he and other doctors who perform abortions are considering Rockford, Illinois, or another site near Wisconsin's border for the potential new clinic. "There's obviously going to be a need for services quickly," Laube said in an interview. "There's enough physician support for this, both in Wisconsin and in Illinois ... I don't think there's any reason to think that there's a lack of physician support."

  • Jennifer Welch, Planned Parenthood of Illinois president and CEO, said in an interview that Illinois could see up to 20,000 women from out of state coming to Illinois clinics that provide abortion services — more than the total number of patients the organization serves now, she said. About 23,000 abortions took place in the five states bordering Illinois as of 2019, including 6,511 in Wisconsin, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Another 27,339 took place in nearby Michigan.

Grads in supercomputing and artificial intelligence, are in hot demand

  • Many tech graduates in supercomputing and artificial intelligence can find positions nearly anywhere in the country as companies struggle to fill positions in artificial intelligence, biomedical, cybersecurity, and other technical fields. Some of the demand has been driven by an overall worker shortage that's resulted in manufacturers automating tasks at an increasingly fast clip. Only 10% of manufacturers were “very confident” in their ability to obtain the talent required to support their business strategies, according to a recent survey from Sikich, one of the nation's largest accounting and business consulting firms.

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison research has shown that the majority of bachelor’s degree holders in the state tend to remain here, and that Wisconsin has a relatively low rate of out-migration, also known as “brain drain.” But the number of college-educated workers coming into Wisconsin isn't that high, according to the research, so the state suffers from a lack of “brain gain.” The solutions won't come easily. And there's probably no "silver bullet" for the entire state, as every region is different, said Matt Kures, a community development specialist with UW-Madison Extension.

  • Southeast Wisconsin could be facing a shortage of tech workers in the coming years. According to a 2020 impact report by the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition, the area could have an estimated 31,000 tech jobs unfulfilled by 2024. Companies are getting creative in their hiring, and are paying higher salaries, to lure talent. Some are also bringing existing employees, from other career fields, into technology roles.

Did someone share this newsletter with you? Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

The Money

KATHLEEN GALLAGHER: Activist investors targeting Kohl's are playing a tired, old, greedy game that is unlikely to succeed.

ZILLOW: A four-toilet house, a jungle paradise and more: Four recent times Wisconsin Zillow listings went viral.

The Fun Stuff

CRUISES: Great Lakes cruising season kicks off in Milwaukee with Viking Octantis, the largest cruise ship to sail the lakes.

The Games

BREWERS: An ugly performance all around as the Brewers are drubbed by the Braves on Mother's Day

BUCKS: Jrue Holiday takes over the big stage in the final moments of the Bucks' Game 3 victory over Celtics. Game 4 tonight in Milwaukee.

Around Wisconsin

MADISON: Madison police are invstigating arson after a fire broke out early Sunday in the offices of a prominent anti-abortion group and a threat was spray painted on the group's building.

APPLETON: Mile of Music organizers announced the next 50 artists in the festival's lineup Friday. The ninth annual Mile of Music, nicknamed "Mile 9," will be held along College Avenue Aug. 4-7. The free festival draws people from all over to Appleton for music from all sorts of indie artists.

Today in Wisconsin History

On May 9, 1950, one month after the Milwaukee Arena formally opened its doors, the venue hosted its first sporting event: a middleweight fight between ex-champ Rocky Graziano and Vinnie Cidone. With more than 12,000 looking on, Graziano scored a technical knockout in the fourth round.

Today's Weather

We are entering a really nice, warm stretch today with a high of 71 under sunny skies.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin doctors consider abortion clinic on Illinois border