A committee called Reproductive Freedom for All is working to amend the Michigan Constitution. Led by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, this committee’s amendment would create a new unlimited and unregulated right to abortion in our state.
This radical proposal is not about reproductive freedom, which already exists. This poorly-worded amendment would repeal dozens of state laws, including laws unrelated to abortion. It could affect any law relating to pregnancy and abortion and does not exempt minor children.
The Reproductive Freedom for All constitutional amendment is not about protecting existing rights but smuggling a radical proposal into the Michigan State Constitution that would repeal or drastically alter dozens of laws already on Michigan’s books. The amendment would fundamentally change the relationships between parents and children by removing parental consent requirements for abortion, contraception, and sterilization, as well as impact women and their doctors.
Below is the 92-word summary of the amendment that appears on the petitions and will appear on the ballot in November if enough valid signatures are collected:
“Constitutional Amendment to: establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make and carry out all decisions about pregnancy, such as prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion, miscarriage management, and infertility; allow state to prohibit abortion after fetal viability unless needed to protect a patient’s life or physical or mental health: forbid state discrimination in enforcement of this right; prohibit prosecution of an individual, or a person helping a pregnant individual, for exercising rights established by this amendment; and invalidate all state laws that conflict with this amendment.”
• Parental consent for children’s medical treatment that involve sex or pregnancy, including sterilizations may be removed.
• The ban on school employees helping children have abortions may be removed.
• Any parental consent for children seeking abortions may be removed.
• Statutory rape and incest laws may be removed.
• Screening for women being coerced to have abortions may be removed.
• Partial-Birth Abortion Ban may be removed.
• Born-Alive Infant Protection Act may be removed.
• Increased penalties for abortions after viability – the new amendment would undo this.
• Requirement that only doctors perform abortions may be removed.
• Licensing and health and safety requirements for abortion facilities may be removed.
• Ban on tax-funded abortions may be removed.
• Preventing health insurance from automatically covering elective abortions may be removed.
• Informed consent requirement for women seeking abortions may be removed.
• 24-hour waiting period for abortion may be removed.
• Requirements that women be offered the chance to see an ultrasound before the abortion may be removed.
• Conscience protections for doctors and nurses who object to performing abortions may be removed.
• Would force elective abortions to be treated the same as childbirth for women seeking time off, leave, and other family policies.
• Reporting requirements on abortion statistics and complications may be removed.
• Michigan’s original abortion ban, passed in 1846 and updated in 1931 would be removed.
• Michigan Surrogate Parenting Act and a ban on commercialized surrogacy may be removed.
• Ban on human cloning may be removed.
Go to our Coalition Page: https://supportmiwomenandchildren.org/