WASHINGTON — Last week, the Republican-controlled Michigan House and Senate passed budget proposals that would block Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from receiving state or federal funding. If the Supreme Court strikes down Roe, a 1931 law on the books in Michigan would go into effect, obliterating reproductive rights and designating an abortion as a felony without any exception for rape or incest. State Republicans also used their proposed budgets to earmark $750,000 to enforce the archaic 1931 law. In Michigan, like the country as a whole, a majority support safe and legal abortions. These protections are poised to be eliminated if state Republicans succeed.
“State Republicans are not waiting for the Supreme Court to take aim at abortion rights— they are targeting reproductive health care right now,” said DLCC President Jessica Post. “At every level of government, Republicans have spent nearly 50 years trying to overturn Roe v. Wade and now they’re even more emboldened knowing they have a conservative-packed Supreme Court on their side. Michigan Republicans are in lock-step with state Republicans across the country. Limiting abortion access and infringing on the privacy and bodily autonomy of Americans is their top priority. Without Roe or federal action, the battle over abortion rights will continue to take place in state legislatures. The DLCC is helping state Democrats take on this fight by pushing back against Republican extremism and defending abortion protections that are supported by a majority of Americans.”
Emboldened by the Supreme Court’s leaked opinion, Michigan is just one of the Republican-controlled legislatures across the country swiftly moving to limit abortion access and erode reproductive freedom. State Republicans in Louisiana are pushing a personhood bill that would designate an abortion as a homicide. In Oklahoma, clinics are already turning away pregnant rape survivors and patients traveling from out of state because of the law Republicans enacted last week mimicking Texas’ six-week abortion ban. States like Kentucky, where previously unconstitutional laws remained on the books, could potentially enforce their restrictive measures if the high court strikes down Roe.
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