Lawmakers in the Michigan Senate passed a portion of a legislative package Thursday aimed at widening abortion access even further in the already pro-abortion state.
Among the bills passed were legislation that would eliminate the state’s 24-hour waiting period prior to abortion, repeal licensing regulations for abortion facilities, eliminate some abortion reporting requirements, and eliminate a rule that prevented publicly funded colleges and universities from referring for abortions. A portion of the legislation would repeal a requirement that women give written consent to their abortion — a requirement that many argue is designed to help prevent coercion.
“We all hear horrific stories about human trafficking, we’ve heard stories about abusive, controlling relationships, and we should be aware that any of these situations and so many more could easily lead to a man forcing a pregnant woman to abort a child against her will,” argued Senator John Damoose during a floor speech. Studies have shown that 64% of women with a history of abortion report having felt pressure to abort.
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The legislation was part of the Reproductive Health Act, a broad pro-abortion package called for by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Among the bills in the package that did not advance was a proposal that would have allowed state-funded abortions through Medicaid.
Last year, Michigan voters passed Proposition 3, which made abortion a right in the state’s constitution. Abortion proponents have used that as an argument for passing further legislation that would strip current abortion requirements, potentially putting women in harm’s way. Those in opposition argue that the current pro-abortion bills are nothing more than a radical attempt to increase abortion access at all costs.
“It is abortion extremism, plain and simple, and it will have deadly consequences not only for unborn children but potentially also for the women seeking an abortion,” said Senator Thomas Albert. “These bills are not about protecting health. They are about promoting the abortion industry and advancing an anti-life agenda that gets more radical and extreme by the day.”
The Michigan Catholic Conference campaigned against the package. “The Senate’s action today — pure and simple — inoculates abortion businesses from minimal levels of transparency and accountability,” said Rebecca Mastee, a policy advocate for the Catholic Conference.
The package next heads to the House for consideration.
