Michigan lawmakers and pro-choice advocates were among those gathering Tuesday at courthouses, calling on the U-S Supreme Court to protect a person’s right to an abortion. Politico obtained and released a draft majority opinion indicating that five of the nine high-court justices would vote to overturn the decision in the case Roe v. Wade. Michigan is among dozens of states with an abortion ban on the books that would become law if that happens. State Representative Laurie Pohutsky of Livonia notes Michigan’s 1931 ban would criminalize both those seeking abortions and their providers but she notes that wouldn’t happen unless the draft opinion is made official.
“One thing that we do want to make clear, just because there are patients who are seeking care – as of right now, abortion is legal in Michigan, and if you need abortion care, please feel free to seek it.”
Pohutsky has introduced the Reproductive Health Act, which would protect access to abortion and contraception in the state and repeal the 1931 ban. But the Legislature hasn’t advanced the bill. Governor Gretchen Whitmer last month filed a lawsuit with the state Supreme Court to prevent a ban from going into effect.
