Michigan Senate passes expansive pro-abortion package, ending waiting period and more
Lawmakers in the Michigan Senate passed part of a legislative package Thursday aimed at expanding access to abortion beyond the pro-abortion state.
Among those fees pass is law which would eliminate the state’s 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, repeal licensing regulations for abortion facilities, eliminate certain abortion reporting requirements, and remove a rule which prevented publicly funded colleges and universities from prescribing abortions. One part of the law would repeal a requirement that women give written consent to their abortions — a requirement that many argue is designed to help prevent coercion.
“We all hear horror stories about human trafficking, we hear stories about abusive, controlling relationships, and we should know that any of these situations and many others can easily lead to a man who forces a pregnant woman to abort a child against her will,” argued Senator John Damoose in a floor speech. Studies have shown that 64% of women with a history of abortion report feeling pressured to have an abortion.
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The legislation is part of the Reproductive Health Act, a broad pro-abortion package called for by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Among the bills in that package no The advance is a proposal that would allow state-funded abortions through Medicaid.
Last year, voters in Michigan passed Proposition 3, making abortion a right in the state constitution. Abortion advocates have used that as an argument for passing additional legislation that would remove 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 access to abortion at all costs.
“This is abortion extremism, plain and simple, and it will have deadly consequences not only for unborn children but also potentially for women seeking abortions,” 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 is becoming more radical and extreme by the day.
The Michigan Catholic Conference campaigned against the package. “Today’s Senate action — pure and simple — injects abortion businesses with minimal levels of transparency and accountability,” said Rebecca Mastee, a policy advocate for the Catholic Conference.
The package will next head to the House for consideration.
