Republicans in House, Senate pass anti-abortion bills after emotional debate
The so-called D&E procedure ban bills are just two of many bills introduced around the nation that are severely restricting -- and even banning in the case of
The
The vote -- 22-16 in the
"If we're talking about providing mercy to these babies because of the suffering they might face ... then it must be a life," said Sen.
Rep.
But
"Nearly 99% of abortions occur before 21 weeks, but when they are needed later in pregnancy, it is often in very complex circumstances, the kinds of situations where a woman and her doctor need every medical option available," said Sen.
Sen.
"I can stand here and call out the hypocrisy of predominantly male legislators -- most of whom, with zero medical background -- who somehow decided when they took office that they are medical experts and experts of women's bodies and health care," said Sen.
And Rep.
"Just because you're offended by medical procedure doesn't give you the right to put the lives of
The debate brought up intensely personal stories on both sides of the abortion issue.
Sen.
"I would like to think that it's a small part of God looking out for me," she said. "Until the day abortion is made illegal, I will fight for those unborn babies. ... You should allow God to take over and deliver that baby and it shouldn't be made easier for you."
But Rep.
"One of the most egregious aspects of this bill is that there are no provision for rape or incest. As a survivor of rape, this is simply unacceptable," she said. "There are consequences to the decisions that we make here. And I'm not sharing this story for sympathy. ... It is important because it is evidently far too easy for us to forget about the consequences when we can't put a name or a face to them. So I am here to be that face."
Of the 26,594 abortions performed in
Even though the bills got support from all legislative
Gov.
"I'm going to veto them when they come to my desk," she said. "These are decisions that should be made between a woman and her doctor. I've always supported a woman's autonomy and freedom to make her own choices, and that should be no surprise to anyone in this town."
She elaborated last month during a speech at a
If the bills are passed and Whitmer vetoes them, Michigan Right to Life is likely to embark on a petition drive for a citizen-led legislative initiative to gather enough signatures and bypass the governor to get the bill passed into law. The anti-abortion organization has gone that route four times in the last 32 years and gotten laws onto the books, including: banning public funds from being used to pay for abortions for welfare recipients in 1987; requiring parental consent before a minor can get an abortion in 1990; defining a legal birth in 2004; and in 2013 requiring women to purchase an additional rider on their health insurance if they want to have coverage for an abortion.
"We always hope that she will change her mind, but we've been prepared to go around governors' vetoes in the past and we're prepared to do it again," she said. "But we always wait to see if, at the last minute, she will have a change of heart."
In
-- SB 165: Would ban abortions past 20 weeks and impose sanctions of up to 15 years in prison and a
-- HB 4322: Would prohibit the state from contracting for services with any agency that provides abortions.
-- HB 4416-4417: Would require more reporting requirements to the state from abortion providers, including extensive reports from a medical examiner or any person with knowledge of a woman who has experienced medical complications or died after having an abortion.
Conversely, another six bills -- SB 50, 52-53 and HB 4113, 4115-4116 -- from abortion rights supporters in the state
These bills have been introduced to ensure that abortion remains legal and available in
In 30 states, bills have been introduced that would outright ban abortions past six weeks or the D&E procedure, according to the
Implementation of many of the laws has been at least temporarily blocked by legal challenges, and the
The
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