Nov. 22, 2023 Update:
Gov. Whitmer this week signed into law most of the bills within a scaled-back version of the pro-abortion Reproductive Health Act, as Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) credited the legislative and grassroots advocacy against the RHA that ultimately helped defeat numerous policies within the broader package of bills that were originally introduced earlier this year. Read full article on the MCC website.
Nov. 9, 2023 Update:
One year after Michigan voters approved Proposal 3, an amendment that enshrined abortion in the state constitution, the Reproductive Health Act was approved by the House and Senate and now moves on to the governor’s desk.
The Reproductive Health Act passed in the House on Nov. 2 without elements that “would have allowed Medicaid funding for abortion care and that would have done away with a 24-hour waiting period before obtaining an abortion,” according to Detroit News. It was approved by the Senate on Nov. 7.
‘A contract for a human being’: MCC makes case against legalized surrogacy contracts
A House committee this week approved sweeping changes to Michigan’s family and parentage laws despite Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) expressing concerns that legalizing surrogacy contracts and compensation commercializes the buying and selling of children.
Read more: Crucial limits on abortion would remain law under house-passed version of RHA (Michigan Catholic Conference)
Oct. 20, 2023 Update:
Abortion Deregulation Bills Advance Despite Widespread Opposition from Michigan Voters
The Michigan Senate this week voted to approve the Reproductive Health Act (RHA) in party-line votes even after new statewide polling was released continuing to show strong voter support for the abortion limits the RHA would repeal.
(Read more from Michigan Catholic Conference)
Reproductive Health Act remains stalled – Keep those messages going to lawmakers!
The dangerous Reproductive Health Act remains stalled on the House floor for a second straight week, thanks in part to efforts from Catholic advocates like you who have contacted lawmakers with concerns over the package of bills.
Tell Lawmakers: Reject the RHA and protect women ahead of Senate hearing on Oct. 10:
Write to your Representatives
To date, nearly 2,800 messages have poured into lawmakers’ offices from grassroots advocates who have used Michigan Catholic Conference’s (MCC) action alert platform to share why the RHA would be harmful to the health and safety of Michigan women and their unborn children.
Earlier this week, an op-ed from a pro-life physician was published in The Detroit News explaining the importance of state licensing and inspection standards on abortion clinics and allowing women the right to know through informed consent about the risks of abortion. Both of those protections, and more, would be repealed under the RHA.
MCC staff continue to meet with lawmakers and their staff to urge opposition to the package to keep it from moving forward.
MCC calls on House and Senate to oppose abortion industry deregulation
(Lansing, Mich.) – Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) is calling on the consciences of members of the House of Representatives and state Senate to oppose appalling legislation passed by the House Health Policy Committee this morning that overturns widely-supported limitations on abortion and policies that require accountability and transparency over Michigan abortion facilities.
A package of bills operating under the name Reproductive Health Act (RHA) would legalize third trimester partial-birth abortions in Michigan, deregulate abortion clinics by ending state-required inspection and licensure standards, and remove a Right to Know informed consent for women prior to an abortion, among other provisions.
“The bills that emerged from committee are likely the most extreme policies passed in the recent history of the Legislature due to their blatant prioritization of the abortion industry over women’s health and safety,” said Rebecca Mastee, J.D., policy advocate for Michigan Catholic Conference. “The majority of Michiganders support and expect longstanding regulations and limitations on abortion to remain in place, limits that were legal under Roe v. Wade. All human life, including the life of a woman seeking an abortion, has inherent value and is worthy of legal protection. We call on members of the Michigan Legislature to turn to their consciences and oppose the Reproductive Health Act.”
Bills passed by the committee today that are part of the RHA package would repeal numerous protections currently in place related to abortion limitations, which MCC says will result in:
• Minimal to no transparency or accountability for abortion clinics due to a proposed removal of clinic reporting requirements, including for instances of complications that occur during an abortion.
• More women having an abortion they do not want due to a proposed repeal of a screening for coercion prior to an abortion.
• More aborted children discarded in public waste containers due to a proposed repeal of requirements to dispose of fetal remains safely and humanely.
Polling data from Marketing Resource Group, commissioned by Michigan Catholic Conference in March 2023, found that 90 percent of the public support licensing and inspecting abortion clinics, and nearly two-thirds of those surveyed, 63 percent, support a Right to Know period before an abortion takes place. The poll also revealed that 97 percent of “pro-choice” respondents support clinic regulations while 65 percent are in favor of the 24-hour Right to Know policy.
“The Reproductive Health Act would advance an unregulated abortion environment in Michigan, prioritizing the financial, political and business interests of the abortion industry over the health and safety of women in this state,” Mastee said.
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Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.
