A few House Democrats met in front of the state Capitol Monday to discuss the consequences of Roe v. Wade being overturned and urged Michiganders to “vote like your life depends on it.”
“Because it does,” state Rep. Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac) said during the press conference in Lansing Monday afternoon.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn the 1973 landmark decision in Roe that enshrined the right to an abortion in the U.S. Constitution.
Now, Michigan Democrats say they are “the last line of defense” to ensure abortion rights are protected in the state.
“I want everyone to understand, we are fighting as hard as we can in the Capitol with legislation, in the courts with lawsuits and in the streets with petitions to save abortion access, but we can’t do it without your help,” state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) said.
Michigan has an abortion ban on the books from 1931 that would make all abortions in the state a felony, unless to save the life of the pregnant woman. That law has been unenforceable for nearly 50 years under Roe and is currently unenforceable because of a court ordered injunction.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Planned Parenthood of Michigan (PPMI) both filed separate lawsuits that would make the 1931 abortion ban unenforceable.
Last month, Court of Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher ordered an injunction in the Planned Parenthood lawsuit, which means enforcement of the ban is paused until the court makes a final decision in the case.
State Rep. Christine Morse (D-Texas Twp.), who had an abortion over a decade ago after learning it wouldn’t be safe for her to go through with the pregnancy, said this SCOTUS decision is going to be potentially deadly for many women in Michigan.
“So many things could go wrong during pregnancy, and should the 1931 law be enforced, our health care providers will be stuck between providing the health care their patients require and the threat of felony prosecution,” Morse said.
State Reps. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia), Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac) and Christine Morse (D-Texas Twp) during a press conference on June 27, 2022 on the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade | Allison R. Donahue
Democrats are also pushing the Reproductive Freedom for All (RFFA) ballot initiative that is aimed at protecting reproductive freedom and Michiganders’ right to make and carry out decisions relating to pregnancy, including abortion, birth control, prenatal care, and childbirth.
“I’m not even asking you to vote as a state representative running for reelection. I am asking you to vote as a person in this state with a uterus to understand the existential threat we are facing,” Pohutsky said.
Pohutsky slammed a bill introduced by state Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers) last week that would update the state’s 1931 abortion ban to “make it enforceable post-Roe v. Wade.” Carra’s bill would make it a felony crime, punishable up to 20 years in prison, for providing medication abortions.
“We can not fall for the lie that Republicans are being moderate about this while they snatch bodily autonomy away from the people of this state,” Pohutsky said.
In addition to Carra’s bill, Republicans running for the state’s highest offices, including governor and attorney general, celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision and backed banning abortion in the state. The GOP’s anti-choice stance comes at a time when the majority of Michiganders support abortion access, according to a January 2022 poll by WDIV and The Detroit News
That poll reported 67.3% of Michiganders supported Roe v. Wade and 65.7% backed repealing Michigan’s 1931 ban on abortion. Another 77% believe abortion should be a woman’s decision.
Democrats are hoping that the anger that the SCOTUS decision has fueled in many Michiganders will be a driving force to get more people to vote in November.
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authored by Allison R. Donahue
First published at https%3A%2F%2Fmichiganadvance.com%2F2022%2F06%2F27%2Fhouse-dems-say-they-need-voters-help-to-protect-abortion-access-in-michigan%2F
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