LANSING, Mich — Michigan's governor says she's not surprised that the US Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade.
With Roe overturned, abortion is illegal in 13 states due to "trigger laws" that went into effect once the ruling was announced. In about a dozen other states, older laws on the books ban abortion, including Michigan, although it isn't clear when or if the laws will be enacted.
Michigan is among the states with a 1931 law on the books that would ban abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest. Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel said she will not use her powers as attorney general to enforce the law.
However, a Michigan court has a temporary hold on that law. That means abortions are legal for now, however, that decision is already being challenged.
Whitmer filed a motion urging the Michigan Supreme Court to decide if Michigan’s state constitution protects the right to abortion.
“Today, I filed a motion urging the court to immediately take up my lawsuit to protect abortion in Michigan. We need to clarify that under Michigan law, access to abortion is not only legal, but constitutionally protected. The urgency of the moment is clear—the Michigan court must act now,” said Gov. Whitmer said. “With today's U.S. Supreme Court decision, Michigan's extreme 1931 law banning abortion without exceptions for rape or incest and criminalizing doctors and nurses who provide reproductive care is poised to take effect. If the 1931 law goes into effect, it will punish women and strip away their right to make decisions about their own bodies. That is why I filed a lawsuit in April and used my executive authority to urge the Michigan Supreme Court to immediately resolve whether Michigan’s state constitution protects the right to abortion. I will fight like hell to protect the rights of Michigan women.”
You can read the motion here:
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