Article author:
ST. CLAIR SHORES — Last week, on a peaceful summer night on a lake in Michigan, the latest front of the US war over abortion unfolded.
Outside the park where children ate waffle cones and hundreds of people listened to concerts in bandshell, volunteers amend the state constitution to protect the right to abortion in November We have collected signatures in support of taking action on ballots.
After the US Supreme Court on June 24 overturned the groundbreaking 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide and delegated the matter to individual states. The mission has taken on a new urgency.
In Michigan, where opinion surveys show that the majority of people support the right to abortion, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer makes abortion a ferrony , Filed a lawsuit to invalidate the 1931 state law that enacts a state constitution. The right to have an abortion. The court temporarily blocked the enforcement of the law, but Republicans who control the state legislature want to keep the book ban or enact a new book.
Michigan's political tensions over the future of abortion could herald what could occur in a few other US states showing similar movements. ..
Whitmer said this year that protecting the right to abortion could be central to her reelection campaign and could reject attempts by Congress to pass a new ban.
"This can move from a safe and legal state of abortion to a state of being illegal without exception," Whitmer said in an interview on Friday. I mentioned in. "It's a very real threat."
Whitmer said that if her own efforts to legalize abortion fail in court, she will facilitate the measurement of her ballots.
The coalition of abortion rights and progressive groups behind the petition is facing a deadline of 11 July, collecting about 425,000 signatures to qualify for ballots. When she collected signatures outside the park at St. Clair Shores last week, volunteer Deborah Karcher, 46, said direct action was the best way to save her reproductive rights.
"This is the will of the people," Karcher said. "Even if you don't agree with this, put it on the ballot. Let people decide."
Opponents of the ballot, including religious and anti-abortion groups It has been mobilized and states that the wording of the amendment will open up the possibility of abortion and block parental notifications. Minors require procedures.
STATE FIGHTS
Outside Michigan, voters' backlash against abortion restrictions is all competitive governors such as Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. This year's US Senate election.
Luis Jacobson, a political analyst at the University of Virginia Political Center, said these states "rubber actually paves the way for this issue."
While President Joe Biden and his Democrats are being attacked by critics on issues such as inflation and crime, abortion "is the first potential to boost rather than hurt the Democrats. It's a matter of concern, "said Jacobson.
Whitmer relies on it. The Governor's first term was shaken by criticism from his rights to COVID-19 restrictions on state businesses and schools. However, recent polls have shown that more voters than Biden have approved her performance in the office.
Whitmer states that he was raised by a Republican father who upheld the right to abortion and hopes to reach out to Republicans and independents who share their views.
"We know that 70% of people in our state support women to be able to make their own medical decisions and abortion is an option. "Whitmer said. "That means it crosses the boundaries of the party."
All Whitmer Republican challengers rounding off at the Primary on August 2 support the ban on abortion and vote. I disagree with the paper.
The Democratic Party for the People has put Michigan on a short list of states that believe it can change the balance of power in the legislature. "Movement.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, a division of the party that supports candidates for the Legislature, has strategic plans and voters to support races in states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania. He said he was raising money to provide data analysis.
Donations to the Commission have tripled since Roe's overthrow, a group spokesman said. According to Gabrielle Chew, she couldn't provide a concrete number.
Constitutional protection
According to fertility advocacy groups, 11 state courts have a state constitution We have ruled that we are protecting the right to abortion. Court appeals in other states, such as Florida, are ongoing.
Michigan Constitutional Amendments The proposal establishes the right to "freedom of reproduction" and applies not only to pregnancy abortion, but also to decisions regarding fertility treatment and contraception. Opponents of the ballot called the amendment wording too broad.
The opposition coalition, along with those who oppose abortion, is trying to urge those who support the right to have an abortion to persuade them not to support ballots, spokesman Kristen Pollo said. ..
"Whether you support abortion or you support abortion, you should reject this abortion amendment," Polo said. "The majority of Michigan do not support unregulated abortion."
Nicole Wells Stallworth, Managing Director of Michigan's Planned Parent-Child Relations Advocate, said: The amendment will allow the legislature to regulate abortion after fetal survival, he said.
"This constitutional amendment is related to reproductive rights and freedom of reproduction and will create a broad safety net for those who want to own their own physical autonomy," Wells. Stallworth said. "This measure benefits everyone."
(reported by James Oliphant; edited by Colleen Jenkins and Will Dunham)
