LANSING — This week, Michigan Democrats further protected abortion access. On Wednesday, the House passed a bill expanding the protections of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights act to bar employers from discriminating against any employees who received an abortion.
The current law only protects people from employment discrimination if the abortion was to “save the life of the mother.”
The Senate passed the same bill in March, and it now heads to Governor Whitmer’s desk for her signature.
Senator Erika Geiss laid out the importance of this legislation in a tweet thread:
Read more about the Democrats’ plan from the Associated Press below:
AP: Michigan Democrats act to protect abortion rights of workers
- Michigan Democrats continued efforts to protect abortion rights Wednesday as the state Legislature advanced a bill that would outlaw companies from retaliating against employees for receiving abortions.
- “No one should lose their job or have to worry about their employment when making a decision that relates solely to their bodily autonomy,” said Democratic Rep. Felicia Brabec of Ann Arbor.
- It would be the second time this year that Democrats have amended the state’s decades-old civil rights law. In March, Whitmer signed legislation that added LGBTQ+ protections by permanently outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Since the fall of Roe last year, protecting abortion rights has been a priority for Michigan Democrats, who control both chambers of the Legislature and the governor’s office. In last November’s midterms, voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure that enshrined abortion rights in the state’s Constitution.
What are Republicans doing?
Continuing to show their extremism on this issue – not one House Republican voted in favor of this common-sense bill
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