LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order refusing to extradite people who come to the state for reproductive health care.
The order also protects abortion providers in Michigan “who will not have to fear being extradited for prosecution in another state for offering reproductive health care.”
Recommended Videos
This executive order comes after the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade, taking away the constitutional right to an abortion for millions of people. A majority of Michigan voters disapprove of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to a new WDIV/Detroit News poll.
There are laws and legislative proposals across the United States that would make it a felony for a woman to seek abortion care. There are also proposals to punish a woman who decides to cross state lines to obtain an abortion.
“After the overturn of Roe v Wade and the ensuing implementation of a series of extreme bans on abortion that criminalize women and medical professionals across the country, visitors to Michigan must know that they can access reproductive health care within our borders without fear of extradition. That is why I signed an executive order today refusing to cooperate with out-of-state law enforcement seeking to punish women for seeking health care,” Whitmer said. " I will stand up for all women, even if their local and statewide leaders refuse to. Michigan must remain a place where a person’s basic rights are preserved. In this existential moment for fundamental rights, it is incumbent on every elected official who believes that health—not politics—should guide medical decisions to take bold action. "
In Michigan, a proposal exists to imprison health care providers for up to 10 years if they help a woman get an abortion. The GOP legislature is also in court defending Michigan’s 1931 near-total abortion ban that does not include exceptions for rape or incest.
Read: Michigan AG: Abortion care ‘cannot be prosecuted’ while injunction in place