Abortion

The constitutionality of Michigan's 1931 law outlawing abortion will ultimately be decided by the Michigan Supreme Court.

With the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, Michigan Democrats see a big role for abortion rights in the upcoming general election.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Democratic prosecutors are asking the Michigan Supreme Court to step in and immediately take up the question of whether the state constitution protects abortion rights.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade puts the question of abortion rights in the hands of individual states.

Michigan physicians with the Committee to Protect Health Care condemn the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe V. Wade.

Michigan is one of more than a dozen states with an abortion ban on the books that was unenforceable following the 1973 Roe versus Wade decision. But that old law is not automatically back in force as a result of Friday’s US Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs versus Jackson case. The dormant Michigan law dates back to 1931 and it says abortion providers can be prosecuted -- with exceptions only to save the life of a pregnant woman.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says she’s using the full weight of her office to protect abortion access. She says she will not discipline abortion providers or enforce other provisions of Michigan law limiting reproductive rights. But Nessel says her power is limited, and changes need to be made to Michigan’s constitution.

Michigan’s 1931 law banning abortion is on hold due to a judge’s injunction preventing its enforcement. For now, abortions can continue in the state despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.The Republican-controlled legislature has denied votes on bills by Democrats that would codify the right to abortion care in Michigan. The Reproductive Freedom for All ballot initiative seeks to bypass the legislature and put the question of abortion rights before voters in November.

Friday was a day of rejoicing for people in Michigan who strongly oppose abortion. Rallies were held across the state in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade. The decision sends the fight over abortion to the states.

Republicans in the Legislature have sponsored a bill that would impose penalties of up to 20 years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines on abortion providers.