Whitmer Says She'll 'Fight Like Hell' To Protect Abortion Rights In MI

MICHIGAN — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Tuesday she'll "fight like hell to protect abortion access in Michigan," in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court memo suggesting the court may overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which guaranteed women a right to an abortion.

"Women are waking up this morning feeling hopeless; but we can’t go back," Whitmer said. "I’m more motivated than ever to keep fighting like hell to ensure abortion remains safe and accessible in Michigan."

As Whitmer called her work more important now than ever, she recently used her executive authority to immediately ask the Michigan State Supreme Court to recognize abortion rights under the state's constitution.

In the lawsuit, Whitmer asked the court to strike down Michigan's 1931 abortion law, which would reinstate a 176-year-old abortion ban under the state's constitution if Roe v. Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"If Roe is overturned, abortion could become illegal in Michigan in nearly any circumstance—including in cases of rape and incest— and deprive Michigan women of the ability to make critical health care decisions for themselves," Whitmer said. "This is no longer theoretical: it is reality. That's why I am filing a lawsuit and using my executive authority to urge the Michigan Supreme Court to immediately resolve whether Michigan's state constitution protects the right to abortion."