ANN ARBOR – Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit responded on Monday to a new ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals that will allow Michigan’s 83 county prosecutors to start enforcing the state’s 1931 abortion ban.
In a statement on his Twitter account, Savit said: “In the interim, please know that in Washtenaw, our office will NOT be prosecuting. Period.”
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We are aware of the Court of Appeals' decision today allowing county prosecutors to enforce Michigan's archaic abortion law.
— Eli Savit (@EliNSavit) August 1, 2022
We anticipate swift appeals and will support however we can.
In the interim, please know that in Washtenaw, our office will NOT be prosecuting. Period.
Read: Michigan court rules county prosecutors can enforce state’s 1931 abortion ban
Savit said Monday afternoon that seven county prosecutors have joined together to “protect safe and legal abortion in Michigan,” according to a statement shared on his Twitter account.
In light of the Court of Appeals decision today, 7 county prosecutors--me, @KarenMcDonaldMI, Carol Siemon, @dsleyton, @PAKymWorthy, Matt Wiese, & Jeff Getting--reaffirmed our commitment not to criminalize reproductive freedom.
— Eli Savit (@EliNSavit) August 1, 2022
Our full statement is below (alt text in thread). /1 pic.twitter.com/dklpPctAKc
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also responded to Monday’s ruling, stating that Democrat prosecuting attorneys have vowed not to enforce the ban.
The thread has torn. The Michigan Court of Appeals has just ruled that MI’s 83 county prosecutors can now begin enforcing the abortion ban. But note that the Dem prosecuting attorneys have committed to refuse to enforce the ban, and the injunction still applies to my department. https://t.co/0bUZuUhQDf
— Dana Nessel (@dananessel) August 1, 2022
The ruling comes after the United States Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion a constitutional right, leaving abortion rights up to individual states to decide.
Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban makes no exceptions for rape or incest and declares that all abortions are criminal and cannot be performed unless the mother’s life is at risk.
Read more: Michigan court blocks enforcement of state’s 1931 abortion ban if Roe is overturned
A Michigan Court of Claims judge in May granted a motion filed by the ACLU and Planned Parenthood that blocked the attorney general from enforcing the 91-year-old ban.
Nessel has said numerous times that she refuses impose the ban, even if Michigan courts reinstate it.
To learn more about the ruling and to see the order from the Court of Appeals, click here.