LANSING, Mich., May 2, 2022 — According to a report, the U.S. Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, effectively ending a nationwide right to an abortion. In Michigan, a 1931 law criminalizes performing an abortion except to save the life of the pregnant person. State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia), chair of the Progressive Women’s Caucus, issued the following statement:
“SCOTUS has made it clear that state legislatures will be the decision makers in protecting abortion access. Texas has shown us what abortion bans look like: airlifting people out in the midst of miscarriages, people fleeing to seek care in other states and an overall stripping of bodily autonomy. Michigan’s trigger law banning abortion will leave pregnant people of this state in similar crises. Our task is clear: Amend the state constitution via ballot initiative, overturn the 1931 law and pass the Reproductive Health Act. Abortion is a right, and if we can no longer count on the courts to protect it, we will do it ourselves.”