Signature collection for a ballot initiative has begun that would allow voters to decide whether abortions should be legal in Michigan.
A Michigan law from 1931 criminalizes the medical procedure… but that measure was superseded by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe vs Wade in 1973.
The Roe decision allowed abortions without excessive government intrusion.
Sommer Foster is the co-executive director of progressive non-profit Michigan Voices.
She says the ballot drive is not just about abortion, but addressing racial disparities in health care.
“Also to protect maternal and fetal health which we have seen there are great disparities when it comes to reproductive health in Michigan”
The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority has signaled that it will roll back at least some of Roe vs Wade in a ruling expected later this year.
The Reproductive Freedom for All campaign would need to collect 450-thousand signatures to appear on the November ballot.