FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2023
DETROIT, Mich. - The ACLU of Michigan applauds the state Legislature for passing, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for signing into law, the repeal of the 1931 abortion ban statute, which criminalized abortion in nearly all cases. The action comes in the wake of a Michigan Court of Claims ruling last year that recognizes the right to an abortion is protected under the state Constitution, and a subsequent voter-approved 2022 ballot measure, Reproductive Freedom for All, which amended the state constitution to further enshrine this right, and all decisions regarding reproductive health, including birth control, miscarriage care, prenatal care, and childbirth.
Merissa Kovach, ACLU of Michigan Legislative Director, released this statement on the repeal of the 1931 abortion ban:
“Michigan voters made it clear that abortion is health care when they overwhelmingly voted to put Reproductive Freedom for All into our state Constitution with a historic victory last November. Thank you to Michigan’s lawmakers and Governor Whitmer for further protecting reproductive health care by repealing the 1931 abortion ban.
“But this victory, significant as it is, does not mean our work is done. Even though the right to abortion is protected in Michigan, abortion access is not a reality for far too many in our state. We must do more to make abortion available and affordable.
“With restrictive laws and outright bans happening in other states, we must do everything we can to protect and expand access here. We will do what it takes to make sure that everyone can get the abortion care they need. In Michigan that means repealing dozens of laws on the books designed to push abortion out of reach.”
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