View a recording of the call remarks here.
LANSING — Abortion providers and OB/GYNs across Michigan today condemned the draft opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court leaked last night that suggests they will overturn Roe v Wade, which has protected the constitutional right to an abortion for nearly 50 years.
“This draft opinion is not just unprecedented, it’s absolutely unacceptable,” said Dr. Lauren Owens, an abortion provider in Ann Arbor. “Abortion is health care, and decisions around it should be made between people who can get pregnant and their doctors, without the interference of Supreme Court justices. Thankfully, this opinion isn’t final, and physicians hope that the Supreme Court will eventually decide in favor of protecting the longstanding right to abortion for all Americans.”
Michigan still has a 1931 law on the books that criminalizes abortion in the state, though it’s not been enforced since the landmark Roe v Wade ruling. Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Planned Parenthood of Michigan have filed lawsuits to challenge the law and declare abortion as protected under Michigan’s constitution.
“If the U.S. Supreme Court strips Americans of their constitutional right to an abortion, Michiganders who can get pregnant could face more challenges to accessing abortion, perhaps putting their health and well-being, even their lives, at risk,” said Dr. Michael Hertz, a northern Michigan OB/GYN. “Nobody should have to travel hundreds of miles, pay exorbitant costs, or risk losing a paycheck or a job to seek an abortion in another state. Medical professionals like me will continue to do all we can to protect access to this needed health care, including by advocating for Michigan’s cruel and dangerous abortion ban to finally be overturned.”
Dr. Farhan Bhatti, a family physician in Lansing and Michigan State Lead for the Committee to Protect Health Care said, “Doctors know how dangerous pregnancies can be, and how harmful forcing pregnancy is, and those are some of the many reasons we stand with the vast majority of Michiganders who oppose overturning Roe v Wade. The draft opinion leaked last night is truly horrifying and affirms the worst fears of physicians, so there is much work for us and all Michigan residents to do. We must work together to ensure that the deeply personal and private decision to undergo an abortion remains a decision that patients in Michigan can make in consultation with their health care providers.”
About the Committee to Protect Health Care
The Committee to Protect Health Care is a national mobilization of doctors, health care professionals, and advocates who are building a pro-patient health care majority in Congress and in states so that we can live in an America where everyone has the health care they need to thrive. To learn more: www.committeetoprotect.org
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