Yesterday, the Michigan Legislature voted and passed an initiative that effectively bans any health care policy issued in Michigan from providing abortion coverage, making comprehensive health care near impossible to obtain for a woman in our state.
The initiative, approved 62-47 by the House and 27-11 in the Senate will become law in March without the signature of Gov. Rick Snyder, who vetoed similar legislation a year ago.
Did your representative represent you? Check our list of legislators that voted to take health coverage away from women across our state.
This dangerous policy takes insurance coverage away from victims of rape and incest and puts the lives of women facing unexpected pregnancy complications at risk.
It is beyond us how anyone could support this initiative after the personal stories that were told in Lansing. Brave female legislators shared highly personal and painful stories in a plea to their colleagues to reject the initiative and allow voters across the state to decide to issue.
Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, in an emotional speech, disclosed that she was raped 20 years ago: “If this were law then and I had become pregnant, I would not be able to have coverage because of this. How extreme does this measure need to be? I’m not the only woman in our state that has faced that horrible circumstance…. I think you need to see the face of the women you are impacting by this vote today.”
Representative Colleen Lamonte had a difficult and painful miscarriage at 12 weeks of pregnancy. She expressed, through tears, that if she didn’t have insurance coverage at the time, she would have either been denied life-saving medical care or she and her family would have gone bankrupt to cover the procedure that was necessary to end her doomed pregnancy.
Their pleas fell on deaf ears.
Too often, women’s health is politicized and special interests are wrongly given a voice and platform over doctors, women and the voters.
Who wins when a woman is raped and goes bankrupt to pay for a medical procedure? Who wins when a woman faces complications associated with her pregnancy that puts her life or health at risk and then has to figure out how to pay for her ongoing care? It’s become far too common that when the Michigan Legislature acts, women lose.
State legislators had the opportunity to do the right thing and let this proposal go to the ballot in 2014. Michigan voters should have been given the opportunity to decide what's best for our state.
Did your legislator vote for this dangerous measure? Call their office and tell them you won't forget this attack on women's rights.
This battle may be over, but along with our members and supporters we will continue to fight for women’s health across the state. We urge you to join us by making your voice heard and let Michigan Legislators know that playing politics with women’s health will not be tolerated.
By Merissa Kovach, Field Organizer
