DETROIT – The Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade on Friday, ending a woman’s constitutional right to abortion.
Anti-abortion advocates said this is just another step in the fight to end all legalized abortions for pregnant people in Michigan, according to the Legislative Director for Right To Life Michigan Genevieve Marnon.
“We have three fronts that we’re currently working on. First and foremost is to defeat the two lawsuits, one filed by Planned Parenthood and one filed by the governor. Right To Life of Michigan has filed to intervene in both of those cases,” Marnon said. “Second is to defeat the, what we call the ‘anything goes abortion amendment.’ The RFFA (Reproductive Freedom For All). They’re out in the field gathering signatures, if they get their signatures we will have to work to defeat it on the ballot in November. And then the third front, of course, is the -- are the elections. If we don’t defeat the governor and keep control of the House and Senate it’ll be game over.”
Read: Roe V Wade overturned: What’s next for the pro-choice movement in Michigan?
Earlier Monday, physicians from the Committee To Protect Healthcare discussed the real-world implications for pregnant people, who for a variety of reasons, make the difficult choice to terminate a pregnancy.
Dr. Lauren Owens is a care provider for women, including ones who may choose to terminate a pregnancy for a variety of reasons.
“The youngest pregnant patient I’ve cared for was nine, and you know, for that patient, for a 12-year-old, for anybody, anybody who doesn’t want to be pregnant -- the effort it takes to get out of state if they’re in a state where they can’t access that care is devastating,” Owens said. “It’s absolutely a human rights issue that people anticipate being able to be in charge of their lives.”
The Michigan Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative is a petition to put the issue on the ballot in November.
It is currently legal for physicians to perform abortions in Michigan because the 1931 law is under injunction.
Read: Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade: What that means for abortion access in Michigan