LANSING — A week ago, women and families across America saw the relentless and decades-long crusade against the constitutional protections Roe v. Wade provides suffer a major blow in Texas. Legislation that bans abortions after six weeks — with no exceptions for rape or incest — was allowed to go into effect via the Supreme Court.
While the entire Republican gubernatorial field remains complicit in their silence on this abusive law, Governor Whitmer made a major move to keep Michigan women first.
Yesterday, Whitmer called on both the Michigan House and Senate to support a bill introduced by Sen. Erika Geiss that would repeal an outdated state law. An affront to the “comprehensive care and essential reproductive services” Michiganders now enjoy, the currently dormant law from 1931 would automatically revert abortion to a criminal act should Roe get dismantled nationwide.
Despite the catastrophe beginning in Texas, this is a critical issue that impacts every state in America. Candidates running to lead Michigan must give a clear answer on whether or not they agree with the Supreme Court’s decision on Texas’ SB8 and if they support taking the 1931 state law off the books once and for all.
That clarity is crucial as many anti-choice state legislators across the country are beginning to ram copycat legislation through their chambers in order to circumvent Roe and stake a claim on women’s bodies and their private healthcare decisions.
MDP Chair Lavora Barnes released the following statement:
“This is what leadership is all about. In the wake of this abysmal news for Michigander women and families, Governor Whitmer didn’t hesitate to use every tool in her executive arsenal to protect their private medical decisions. Meanwhile, all 10 Republicans continue to look the other way as the catastrophic consequences from overturning Roe v. Wade gets much closer to reality. Michiganders need to know where these GOP candidates stand on the right to choose. And even more importantly, we urge the state legislature to expedite Sen. Geiss’ bill to ensure the right to safe and legal abortion never gets infringed upon within our borders.”
