MI Voters Could Choose Whether Abortion Is A Protected Right In November

MICHIGAN — Voters in Michigan may be able to decide if abortion is a reproductive right after a coalition called the Michigan Reproductive Freedom for All submitted more than 753,000 signatures to quality for the November ballot.

With the help of more than 2,000 volunteers, the ballot initiative gathered 753,759 signatures from every county in the state, which far exceeds the 425,059 it needed to appear on the ballot. The group turned over its proposal to the Michigan Secretary of State on Monday to qualify for the Nov. 8 ballot.

The proposal would amend the Michigan constitution to guarantee the right to make decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy, including birth control, abortion, prenatal care and childbirth.

The group began collecting signatures in January, and support for the group's initiative grew exponentially after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, making the 753,759 signatures the largest ballot in Michigan history, according to the ACLU.

"The Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade will not take away the rights and freedoms of people in Michigan to determine if and when they become a parent," ACLU of Michigan Executive Director Loren Khogali said in a statement.

Abortion remains legal in Michigan only because a judge temporarily blocked enforcement of the state's 1931 law banning abortion in nearly every circumstance. Several groups, including state Republicans have challenged that ruling, meaning it could change at any moment and trigger the 1931 law.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has filed a lawsuit against the 1931 law, asking the state's supreme court to recognize abortion as a right under bodily integrity provisions in the state's constitution. She sent the notice asking the court to "immediately consider" her lawsuit because some county prosecutors and health providers have misunderstood the current legal status of abortion in Michigan.