Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Inc. v. Van Hollen

23 F. Supp. 3d 956, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71377, 2014 WL 2159517
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Wisconsin
DecidedMay 23, 2014
DocketNo. 13-cv-465-wmc
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 23 F. Supp. 3d 956 (Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Inc. v. Van Hollen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Inc. v. Van Hollen, 23 F. Supp. 3d 956, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71377, 2014 WL 2159517 (W.D. Wis. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

WILLIAM M. CONLEY, District Judge.

In this action, plaintiffs Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Inc.; Susan Pfleger, M.D., a Planned Parenthood physician; Kathy King, M.D., Planned Parenthood’s Medical Director; and Milwaukee Women’s Medical Services d/b/a Affiliated Medical Services assert various constitutional challenges to Section 1 of 2013 Wisconsin Act 37 (“the Act”) against defendants, the Attorney General of the State of Wisconsin, the Dane County District Attorney, the Secretary of the Department of Safety and Professional Services and members of the Medical Examining Board. This section of the Act requires every physician who provides abortions in Wisconsin to have admitting privileges at a hospital within thirty miles of the health center where the abortion is performed. The court previously granted plaintiffs a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction based in part on its conclusion that plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their claim that the Act violates their patients’ rights to liberty and privacy. (Dkt. ## 21, 81.) Before the court is plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment on a separate claim — namely, that the Act violates the nondelegation doctrine. (Dkt. # 113.) Plaintiffs assert that their motion raises a facial challenge to Section 1 of the Act, but the numerous disputed facts, even as to the operation of the statutory and regulatory framework itself, much less its implications, suggest otherwise. In any event, because a genuine issue of material fact exists as to whether admitting privileges are being denied arbitrarily or for improper reasons by hospitals without an adequate opportunity for review by a governmental entity, the court will deny plaintiffs’ motion.

UNDISPUTED FACTS1

A. The Challenged Act

Plaintiffs challenge Section 1 of 2013 Wisconsin Act 37, to be codified at Wis. Stat. § 253.095 (the “Act”), which provides in pertinent part:

[958]*958Section 1. 253.095 of the statutes is created to read:
253.095 Requirements to perform abortions. (1) Definition. In this section, “abortion” has the meaning given in s. 253.10(2)(a).
(2) Admitting privileges required. No physician may perform an abortion, as defined in s. 253.10(2)(a), unless he or she has admitting privileges in a hospital within 30 miles of the location where the abortion is to be performed.

Because hospitals have discretion to grant or deny admitting privileges to physicians, the Act makes plaintiffs’ ability to provide abortions contingent on the decisions of the hospitals. The Act neither contains requirements or procedures hospitals have to follow in determining whether to grant or deny physicians admitting privileges; nor retains any authority by the State to waive the privilege requirement for certain physicians.

B. Statutory and Regulatory Scheme for Grant of Admitting Privileges

Plaintiffs contend that the State also retains no authority to review the hospitals’ decisions regarding privileges. Defendants acknowledge that there is no procedure to review every decision a hospital makes on each individual doctor’s application for admitting privileges, but contend that the State can conduct inspections ánd investigations against a hospital thought to be in violation of the Hospital Regulation and Approval Act, Wis. Stat. § 50.32 et seq., and administrative rules promulgated under that act, including Wis. Admin. Code §§ DHS 124.05 and 124.12. The parties dispute whether this statutory and regulatory scheme sets, sufficient boundaries on hospitals’ discretion in granting or denying admitting privileges so as to protect abortion providers’ due process rights.

Section 50.36(4) describes the mechanism by which the Department of Health Services may enforce its rules and standards.

(4) The department shall make or cause to be made such inspections and investigation, as are reasonably deemed necessary to obtain compliance with the rules and standards. It shall afford an opportunity for representatives of the hospitals to consult with members of the staff of the department concerning compliance and noncompliance with rules and standards. If the department takes enforcement action against a hospital for a violation of ss. 50.32 to 50.39, or rules promulgated or standards adopted under ss. 50.32 to 50.39, and the department subsequently conducts an on-site inspection of the hospital to review the hospital’s action to correct the violation, the department may, unless the hospital is operated by the state, impose a $200 inspection fee on the hospital.

Wis. Stat. § 50.36(4)

Section 124.05 of the DHS Administrative Code describes a hospital’s iequirement of a governing body and certain responsibilities of the governing body, including medical staff appointments.

(e) Medical staff appointments. The governing body shall appoint members of the medical staff in accordance with s. 50.36(3), Stats., as follows:
1. A formal procedure shall be established, governed by written rules covering application for medical staff membership and the method of processing applications;
2. The procedure related to the submission and processing of applications shall involve the administrator, the credentials committee of the medical staff or its counterpart, and the governing body;
[959]*9593. The selection of physicians, dentists and podiatrists and definition of their medical, dental or podiatric privileges, both for new appointments and reap-pointments, shall be based on written criteria;
4. Action taken by the governing body on applications for medical staff appointments shall be in writing;
5. Written notification of applicants shall be made by either the governing body or its designated representative;
6. Applicants selected for medical staff appointment shall sign an agreement to abide by the medical staff by-laws and rules; and
7. The governing body shall establish a procedure for appeal and hearing by the governing body or a committee designated by the governing body if the applicant or the medical staff wishes to contest the decision on an application for medical staff appointment.

Wis. Admin. Code § DHS 124.05(2)(e).

Finally, § DHS 124.12 describes the process for selecting members of the medical staff and provides in pertinent part that “the hospital medical staff shall have a system, based on definite workable standards, for evaluation of each applicant by a credentials committee which makes recommendations to the medical staff and to the governing body.” Wis. Admin. Code § DHS 124.12(4)(b)(l). The regulation also provides that the hospital’s criteria for granting admitting privileges “shall include individual character, competence, training, experience and judgment” and that “[a]ll qualified candidates shall be considered by the credentials committee.” Id.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Miller v. Cooper
116 F. Supp. 3d 919 (W.D. Wisconsin, 2015)
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Inc. v. Van Hollen
94 F. Supp. 3d 949 (W.D. Wisconsin, 2015)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
23 F. Supp. 3d 956, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71377, 2014 WL 2159517, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/planned-parenthood-of-wisconsin-inc-v-van-hollen-wiwd-2014.