Press Release
NARAL Celebrates as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Signs into Law Repeal of State’s Pre-Roe Ban
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Contact: [email protected]
Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed multiple bills repealing the 1931 total ban on abortion
Lansing, MI — Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer made history by signing into law bills to repeal Michigan’s 92-year-old total ban on abortion – a malignant threat to the health and well-being of Michiganders. With abortion access under attack across the country, this is a monumental victory for reproductive freedom.
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju released the following statement in response:
“Today is a testament to the power of our voices and the strength of our votes, proving progress is possible when we elect those who champion our freedoms. NARAL Pro-Choice America and our 125,500 Michigan members thank Governor Gretchen Whitmer for her unwavering commitment to reproductive freedom. Today is a crucial step in the fight for freedom and abortion access for Michiganders today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.”
Repealing this pre-Roe total abortion ban is a major step forward for Michiganders, who overwhelmingly voiced their support for equitable abortion access in the November elections. This moment was only made possible because Michiganders re-elected reproductive freedom champion Gov. Whitmer, elected a reproductive freedom majority in the state legislature, and showed their support for abortion access by approving the “Reproductive Freedom for All” ballot initiative, enshrining the right to reproductive freedom, including the right to abortion and contraception, in the state constitution. The people hurt most by abortion bans and restrictions are those who already face barriers to accessing abortion care—including women; Black, Latina/x, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous people; those working to make ends meet; the LGBTQ+ community; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; people with disabilities, and other historically oppressed communities.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. NARAL is powered by its 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.