Yesterday, Attorney General Dana Nessel and rural constituents joined the Michigan Democratic Party to close out the “Defend Choice” Week of Action and discuss the impact an extreme abortion ban being pushed by Republicans would have on rural Michiganders.
Speakers condemned Michigan Republicans up and down the ballot for their continued attacks on abortion while highlighting how critical it is that Michiganers re-elect Attorney General Dana Nessel and elect a Democratic majority to the state legislature to defend against Republicans’ relentless assault on reproductive rights.
Here’s a look at what Michiganders are reading and watching as Democrats defend choice for rural Michiganders:
ABC Grand Rapids: Defend Choice Week of Action Continues
“As a resident of a rural area in West Michigan, I can tell you that getting health care requires a bit of effort on our part. It’s not easy to find the caregiver that you need, when you do find that caregiver is often many many miles away,” said rural constituent Elspeth Inglis.
Gongwer: Nessel Attends Abortion Panel, Reiterates Anti-Prosecution Stance
The panel was also attended by Amanda Siggins, a House candidate in the 101st District. Ms. Siggins said that abortion access is already limited in northern Michigan.
“For women living in rural areas. access to abortion care can be the difference between terminating a pregnancy safely and having to travel hundreds of miles just to receive care which can endanger the lives of women in emergencies,” Ms. Siggins said.
Ms. Nessel also said that if abortion were banned or tightly restricted in Michigan, rural communities already facing numerous issues with access to medical care would suffer even further.
Michigan Advance: Rural Michigan lacks access to abortion care, even while it’s still legal
“When you consider the many complications and things that go wrong during pregnancy, we must guarantee that Northern Michigan and folks in rural areas across the state have access to life saving medical services,” said Amanda Siggins, chair of the Wexford County Democrats, during a press conference Tuesday. “I live in Northern Michigan and there’s not a single abortion provider near me. That’s the result of decades of attacks from ultra-conservatives like Congressman [Jack] Bergman and Michigan state lawmakers who have systematically gotten rid of critical services that we relied on, while waging war on reproductive rights for people in my community seeking abortion care.”
9and10 News: AG Nessel Reiterates Abortion Legality in Michigan
Given the difficulties of all healthcare in rural areas like northern Michigan, Nessel says it will be even more difficult to get reproductive services like abortions, despite then still being legal in the state right now.
Nessel warns that local prosecutors may push these services out of their counties despite it being legal.
“Especially if you are in a county where you’re afraid that you have a prosecutor that will investigate and will prosecute, even though we have this preliminary injunction that’s in place right now,” said Nessel.
