submitted by Genevieve Marnon
October 29, 2019, Lansing, MI — Today, Governor Whitmer and pro-abortion allies held a press conference to unveil what they call the Reproductive Health Act. The New York-style act would allow unlimited abortions in the state of Michigan up to the point of birth.
The act has not been introduced yet in the Legislature.
The legislation would repeal Michigan’s complete ban on abortions, which is only partially enforceable because of the U.S. Supreme Court. Michigan’s complete ban was backed by 60% of Michigan voters in 1972, but the vote was overturned by the Supreme Court’s decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton which legalized abortion-on-demand through all nine months of pregnancy.
The Reproductive Health Act would codify the Supreme Court’s decisions in state law, but it would also undo many widely supported prolife laws.
According to talking points provided by Planned Parenthood, the legislation would:
• Allow minor teens to have secret abortions without their parents’ consent—or even knowledge.
• Allow abortion facilities to ignore health and safety regulations that other medical clinics follow.
• Allow abortion facilities to refuse to provide informed consent to women.
• Allow walk-in abortions with no waiting period.
Based on the provided talking points and similar legislation in other states, the Reproductive Health Act may do the following:
• Repeal Michigan’s ban on tax-funded abortions that has saved an estimated 236,935 lives since 1989.
• Allow nurses and physician assistants to perform surgical abortions.
During her press conference remarks, Governor Whitmer also criticized Right to Life of Michigan’s petition drive to ban dismemberment abortions.
Governor Whitmer said, “They’ve already passed a bill to ban a safe procedure that has saved women’s lives. And as they know, I’m going to veto those bills if they ever have the backbone to send them to my desk.”
The following statement is from Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing:
It’s no surprise that Governor Gretchen Whitmer wants to follow New York’s lead and allow unlimited abortion-on-demand in Michigan. We know most Michiganders do not support secret teen abortions, unregulated medical facilities, or abortions up to the point of birth.
Governor Whitmer claims our petition drive to end dismemberment abortions is banning a ‘safe’ procedure. There’s nothing safe for a child during the later stages of pregnancy when her arms and legs are torn off by forceps, and her body and skull crushed and removed. The bill to end dismemberment abortions has a life of the mother exception, so her rhetoric is as empty as her compassion for viable children who can survive outside the womb.
Prolife people have plenty of backbone, which is why we continue to collect 400,000 signatures on a bill to end the dismemberment abortion procedure that rips backbones out of viable children. Most Americans do not support late-term abortions, and it’s time for Governor Whitmer to respect that Michigan values life.