DETROIT – The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU) applauds the Michigan Legislature for introducing the Reproductive Health Act. The package of bills introduced today aims to repeal many medically unnecessary state laws that create barriers to abortion. Some of the laws the bills will repeal include:
- Preventing criminal punishment for miscarriages and stillbirths;
- Removing medically unnecessary rules that shut down clinics;
- Allowing private insurance companies to include coverage for all pregnancy-related health care, including abortion;
- Allowing advanced practice clinicians who are properly trained to provide abortion care;
- Repealing laws that force patients seeking abortion care to delay their care and receive biased, medically inaccurate information; and
- Allowing Medicaid to cover all pregnancy-related health care, including abortion.
Introduction of the Reproductive Health Act follows voter passage of last year’s ballot measure, Reproductive Freedom for All, which amended the state Constitution to guarantee Michiganders the right to make all decisions regarding reproductive health, including abortion. Still, restrictions remain that push care out of reach for many Michiganders.
As attacks on reproductive rights continue to grow and push abortion care out of reach for many across the country, the ACLU of Michigan and its coalition partners are committed to working with lawmakers to pass the Reproductive Health Act this year.
Loren Khogali, ACLU of Michigan Executive Director, said this about the RHA introduction:
“We are excited that our state lawmakers are prioritizing reproductive health with the introduction of the Reproductive Health Act. Although abortion is legal in Michigan, it is not accessible to many people who already face systemic barriers to health care, including rural residents, people on low incomes, people with a disability, Black and Indigenous people and other people of color, young people, and the LGBTQ+ community. We must fulfill the promise of Proposal 3, which guarantees the constitutional right to abortion and all decisions related to reproductive health. Abortion is health care, and the voters want this right protected. We urge lawmakers to pass the Reproductive Health Act.”
Merissa Kovach, ACLU of Michigan Legislative Director, said this about the RHA introduction:
“For decades, anti-abortion politicians have chipped away at abortion access by adding state laws to the books that make this critical health care inaccessible to thousands of people across the state. With the introduction of the Reproductive Health Act, Michigan is poised to repeal dozens of these medically unnecessary laws that have nothing to do with health care and everything to do with politics. We are thrilled and grateful that our Legislature is prioritizing the health of Michiganders. The voters have mandated lawmakers to protect their right to abortion. Now, is the time for our elected leaders to see this through.”
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