This Saturday, January 22, marks the 49th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that assured the right to choose for tens of millions of women across the country. As the Supreme Court looks poised to dismantle Roe v. Wade, governors will be the last line of defense against dangerous abortion bans for the first time in nearly 50 years.
This week, MDP will be highlighting what Michiganders would face under the extreme GOP candidates running for governor.
On a recent appearance on Steve Gruber’s radio show, millionaire Toyota salesman Kevin Rinke made a dangerous commitment to enforce Michigan’s extreme ban on abortion. He said that if Roe was overturned, a state law that “prohibits abortion” would go into effect, and pledged that “as governor, I’m going to enforce that law of the land.”
Rinke was referring to a currently dormant law on Michigan’s books from 1931 that criminalizes abortion, makes felons out of reproductive health care providers, and provides no exceptions for rape or incest. Anti-choice advocates have touted the law as the most restrictive in the country, and it would immediately go back into effect if Roe v. Wade gets overturned nationally.
MDP spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite issued the following statement:
“Kevin Rinke can’t hide his commitment to imposing his extreme views on abortion by calling an almost century old ban the ‘law of the land.’ The 1931 law puts access to reproductive health care for millions in danger, and Michiganders deserve a leader who won’t stand by and allow their rights to be stripped. Governor Whitmer has remained on the frontlines of the fight to protect reproductive rights by vetoing anti-choice provisions and calling on the legislature to do the right thing and repeal this draconian law.”
