Decline to Sign the Petition

In Michigan, Right to Life and the Catholic Conference have just begun a petition drive in an attempt to do an end-run around SB 395, the "legal birth definition act" – legislation vetoed by Governor Granholm last October.

Supporters of this initiative mischaracterize this as a ban on so-called “partial birth abortions,” an emotive and deceptive term invented by anti-choice activists, but the bill does not identify a particular abortion procedure and would outlaw even 1st and 2nd trimester abortions. 

According to a letter to the governor urging her veto, 28 doctors and nurses from the University of Michigan Health System stated that the act “misstates medical fact and could adversely impact the medical management of birth.” 

Private and personal medical decisions, including those regarding reproductive health, should only be made by a woman in consult with her physician. A woman’s interests are best served when a physician, not a politician, determines the best course for her medical treatment.

If sufficient signatures are collected, the legislature can enact the law with a simple majority vote which is not subject to a gubernatorial veto. If the legislature does not enact the law, the issue automatically goes to a ballot proposal in the next general election.

If asked to sign this petition, DECLINE TO SIGN. Your signature on a petition is akin to a vote.

To review the bill: http://mileg.org/mileg.asp?page=getObject&objName=2003-SB-0395