Two new bills introduced as part of comprehensive 1931 Abortion Ban Repeal Package

LANSING, Mich., Jan. 19, 2023 — Michigan House Democrats introduced two new bills yesterday that would make additional necessary changes to the state’s unenforceable 1931 abortion ban. House Bill 4031, sponsored by state Rep. Felicia Brabec (D-Pittsfield), would remove the felony abortion law from the Michigan Corrections Code of 1953. House Bill 4032, sponsored by state Rep. Stephanie A. Young (D-Detroit), would eliminate the ban from the state’s Code of Criminal Procedure.

“The two bills introduced yesterday expand on recently introduced legislation to repeal the 1931 abortion ban and are necessary to fully update Michigan’s laws,” Brabec said. “The people of Michigan have made it known that we support access to abortion. Michigan’s laws must reflect the will of the people today. We need to eliminate unenforceable laws that are no longer relevant in our state.”

Speaker Pro Tempore Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia), who serves as the chair of Michigan’s bicameral Progressive Women’s Caucus, introduced House Bill 4006 last week. The bill would repeal the 1931 abortion ban that remains in Michigan law, which made it a felony for medical professionals to provide an abortion service with no exceptions for rape or incest and was enforced until the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling. 

“Medical providers should never have been criminalized for providing abortions, and the people of Michigan agree,” Pohutsky said. “Allowing the government to restrict a person’s access to essential health care, like abortion, sets a precedent that legislators belong in the exam room with patients and their doctor when making private medical decisions. The bills introduced yesterday, along with House Bill 4006 that I introduced last week, demonstrate Democrats’ commitment to governing in a way that is representative of the people of Michigan instead of personal or political ideologies.”

“House Democrats are making good on our promise to put the people of Michigan first,” said Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit). “The people made clear their support for access to reproductive health care and it is our duty as elected representatives to do away with archaic laws in conflict with the will of the voters.” 

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