LANSING, Mich., May 11, 2022 — Today, the U.S. Senate took up legislation to protect abortion rights in anticipation of the expected Supreme Court ruling overturning the decision in Roe v. Wade. The vote failed, 49-51; 60 votes were needed to pass the measure.
“While its deeply disappointing that this vote failed, it was only one path Democrats are pursuing to protect reproductive justice and the right to abortion,” said state Rep. Laurie Pohustky (D-Livonia), chair of the Progressive Women’s Caucus. “Here in Michigan, we are pursuing every possible path in reaffirming our rights — we have legislation in the form of the Reproductive Health Act, we have a state constitutional amendment currently gathering signatures to make the November ballot, and House and Senate Democrats filed an amicus brief in the governor’s lawsuit requesting the Michigan Supreme Court hear the case expeditiously. We will not falter in our fight to determine our own reproductive health outcomes; we will not cease in our defense and assertion to this right over our own bodies; and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal in the Legislature and beyond to secure our rights in Michigan.”
“The failed vote at the federal level is a dramatic statement that reinforces what we’ve known here in Michigan all along — our state governments are the front lines for reproductive freedom,” said House Democratic Leader Donna Lasinski (D-Scio Township). “If the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, the effects of this ruling will be felt across our nation, our state, and in every community. We will not stop fighting for our right to bodily autonomy. Democrats in the House will stand our ground for reproductive freedom.”