WASHINGTON — Following Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s announcement today asking the Michigan Supreme Court to strike down its 1931 law criminalizing abortion, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee urged Michigan voters to elect Democrats to the state legislature to support the governor in protecting reproductive rights. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, 26 states including Michigan are expected to ban abortion because of new restrictions passed by Republican-controlled legislatures or pre-existing abortion bans that would go into effect. Michigan’s 1931 law would ban abortion in all cases except to protect the life of the pregnant person, meaning doctors who perform abortions would become felons.
“If the Supreme Court does strike down Roe, 2.2 million women in Michigan could lose their reproductive rights overnight,” said DLCC President Jessica Post. “Reverting back to the 1931 law criminalizing abortion is archaic and will undermine the bodily autonomy and right to privacy of millions of Michiganders. I’m hopeful of Governor Whitmer’s efforts to affirm abortion rights in the state’s constitution, but she shouldn’t be in this fight alone. We need to elect a Democratic legislature in Michigan to protect the privacy of health care decisions and ensure access to safe and legal abortions.”
The DLCC’s “States to Save Roe” campaign helps Democrats and the DLCC fight back against Republican attacks on abortion rights and protect Democratic chambers that serve as a firewall for access to reproductive health care and services. This website educates and encourages voters to get more involved in state legislative races by showing where abortion rights are most under threat and where Democrats are working to protect them. It also highlights where voters can make the biggest difference this election cycle in flipping seats in Republican-held chambers – like the Michigan House and Senate – that could protect abortion rights with a Democratic majority.
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