Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan is preparing to push legislation that would minimize restrictions on abortion access in the state, according to The Detroit News.
Whitmer is set to hold a press conference Wednesday discussing upcoming priorities for the fall legislative session starting on Sept. 5, with abortion access taking center stage, The Detroit News reported. The governor is planning to endorse proposed bills that would take away restrictions on abortion access, including the mandatory 24-hour waiting period for women looking to get the procedure, according to an outline of the governor’s remarks obtained by The Detroit News. (RELATED: Abortion Lobby Sues Red State Officials Over Proposed Amendment Change Making A ‘Fetus’ An ‘Unborn Child’)
“With a U.S. Supreme Court that’s shown it can and will strip away basic rights, Michigan must be proactive and repeal antiquated state laws,” Whitmer’s “What’s Next Address” reads, according to Bridge Michigan.
Pro-choice supporters gather outside the Michigan State Capitol during a “Restore Roe” rally in Lansing, on September 7, 2022. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP)
Democratic state Sen. Sarah Anthony, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Democratic state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, who is the House’s speaker pro tem, are planning to introduce the “Reproductive Health Act,” which includes abortion access protections for women “regardless of where they live, work, or what type of insurance they have,” The Detroit News reported. The text for the act is not currently available but Whitmer is expected to discuss the legislation and the “politically motivated, medically unnecessary restrictions on abortions.”
Pro-abortion groups also said Monday that they are working with lawmakers to overturn multiple laws regarding Medicaid funding for abortions, clinic building code regulations and the state’s waiting period, according to The Detroit News. The 24-hour law requires women to have an entire day to read educational material on the subject so they can make an “informed choice.”
“The knowledgeable exercise of a woman’s decision to have an abortion depends on the extent to which the woman receives sufficient information to make an informed choice regarding abortion,” the law reads. “Enactment of sections 17015 and 17515 is necessary to ensure that, before an abortion, a woman is provided information regarding her available alternatives, and to ensure that a woman gives her voluntary and informed consent to an abortion.”
Michigan enshrined abortion access into the state’s constitution in April, after voters approved an amendment in November 2022 which made the practice legal for up to 24 weeks. The new amendment dispensed with a previous 1913 law that made it a felony to help someone get an abortion.
Whitmer’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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