Loren Khogali, Sommer Foster and Nicole Wells Stallworth

With Election Day approaching, misinformation regarding Proposal 3 is flooding the airwaves and filling mailboxes. As the leaders of three distinct and very different statewide organizations supporting reproductive freedom, we are compelled to set the record straight so that people will know the truth about what they are voting on.

It is really quite simple: When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade earlier this year, the door was opened wide for the reactivation of a draconian 1931 law that criminalizes abortion in our state, even in cases where the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest. Anticipating that decision, we’d already been working to craft Proposal 3 as a commonsense response to the Supreme Court taking away abortion rights that have been in place for nearly 50 years. What Prop 3 does is retain for Michiganders the reproductive freedom established for all Americans when the Court first decided Roe in 1973.

There’s nothing extreme about that.

We believe that decisions regarding reproduction are up to individuals and their healthcare providers. Politicians should have no role in determining the outcome of such a highly personal decision. When complications arise during pregnancy, or there’s a medical crisis, doctors must have the freedom to act without being forced to look over their shoulders. Prop 3 ensures doctors can provide a full range of reproductive care without interference from lawmakers in Lansing.

There’s nothing extreme about that.

In fact, Prop 3 is being fully embraced by the mainstream medical establishment. The Michigan Nurses Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians are just a few of the state and national organizations endorsing Prop 3. In addition, more than 1,500 health care professionals have joined in urging people to vote “yes” on Prop 3.

This op-ed originally appeared in the Detroit Freep Press. Read the full opinion here:

https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2022/11/02/opinion-we-c...

By Dierdre Roney

A few months ago, looking out at the national political landscape from my home near Los Angeles, it became clear that Michigan was the place for me to be during the runup to the November 8 election. With voting rights and reproductive freedom both on the ballot here, I saw that the people of the Great Lakes  state have the opportunity to send a powerful message of hope to the rest of America. So, here I am knocking doors and talking to voters to protect all of our rights.

The passage of  Proposal 2, which ensures that voting rights will be protected, and Proposal 3, which guarantees abortion access for generations to come, will show the nation that support of civil and constitutional rights is a winning proposition.

Such a message has never been more important. Our democracy is under threat by forces that will resort to anything in order to retain power. We saw the lengths they will go to last year on January 6^th. Given that somber reality, each of us has to now do whatever we can to fight back against the well-funded attempts to both keep qualified voters from casting ballots and deny half the population control over their own bodies by taking away the right to essential health care.

Overarching all of this are extremist attempts to undermine democracy by denying the legitimacy of fair elections and promoting authoritarianism. The antidote is at the ballot box. We know through polling that a majority of the public is with us. The task now, in these final days before the election, is to do everything possible to get out the truth about what’s on the ballot and urge people to vote.

Clearly, this is not a time for complacency. Equally clear is this: Democracy is best defended by actively engaging in it.

Which is why, in early October, I came back to Michigan, where I was born and raised, to go out knocking on doors in support of Props 2 & 3. Fortunately, I’m at a point in my life where I am free to travel. And I am passionate about the issues represented in Props 2 & 3. Of course, I know my presence alone will not change the outcome of the election.   It is more that this is an “all hands on deck” moment, and I felt compelled to directly join the fray.

I’m encouraged by the responses I’m hearing from people as I go door to door. But I also know vast amounts of money are being spent to cloud the issues and deceive voters into casting “no” votes. That is why, along with asking you to vote “yes” on Props 2 & 3, I’m also, along with the ACLU of Michigan, requesting that you also contact three people you know right away and ask them to commit to casting “yes” votes as well. Time is of the essence.

All of us joining together and doing that one simple thing is how we help assure victory.

Someday, in the years to come, I might be asked, “Grandma, where were you when the future of democracy was at stake?” If so, I’ll be able to say with pride, “I was defending it on the frontlines, in Michigan.”

I hope with all my heart that I’ll be able to add, with a mixture of immense joy and great relief, “And we won!”

Will you help me do that?

Dierdre Roney is a volunteer helping to pass Proposals 2 & 3