By Dave Andrusko
Two days after Court Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher ruled that the 1931 law banning almost all abortions would violate the Michigan Constitution, the Board of State Canvassers placed a pro-abortion amendment on the fall ballot as directed by the Michigan Supreme Court yesterday. Previously Judge Gleicher had issued a preliminary injunction while the board deadlocked 2-2.
According to Citizens to Support MI Women and Children, the coalition opposing the amendment, the proposed amendment would legalize abortion through all nine months of pregnancy and allow anyone, including people without any medical training, to “assist” with an abortion.
“It’s actually kind of incredulous that Judge Gleicher would try and do this again,” said Genevieve Marnon, Legislative Director of Right to Life of Michigan. “I mean the court of appeals just ruled that she does not have the authority to bind the county prosecutors and here she is just over a month later trying it again. I’m guessing that one of the prosecutors will file an appeal and or the legislature who was also a party to the case will file an appeal.”
Marnon added, “I hope that this Judge Gleicher rogue decision is swiftly dealt with because we don’t need judges running around invalidating duly elected laws. …She’s not the governor, she doesn’t have veto power, and we shouldn’t hand over the power to one judge to strike laws that have been upheld in the past.”
Right to Life of Michigan further explained
There’s nothing in the Michigan Constitution that mentions abortion. Gleicher knows this because she lost at the Court of Appeals in 1997 when she asked them to create a right to abortion; they obviously said “no” because it doesn’t exist.
Democracy is not judges inventing laws.
But the state Supreme Court, on a 5-2 vote, strongly backed Judge Gleicher, who is a frequent contributor to Planned Parenthood.
“The Michigan Supreme Court’s emergency ruling overrides last week’s party-line tie vote by the Board of State Canvassers, which blocked the certification of the proposed constitutional amendment,” POLITICO reported.
Approximately 425,000 signatures were required to qualify the amendment. While supporters easily met that requirement, “The two Republicans on that panel sided with conservative groups that argued spacing and formatting errors on the text canvassers presented to voters rendered the entire effort invalid.”
Both Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel are strong supporters of abortion. “Abortion is essential healthcare, and this order ensures access to reproductive care for all Michigan women,” Nessel said.
“Today, the courts have ruled once again that Michigan women have the right to make medical decisions with their health care provider and those they trust,” Whitmer said. “I have been fighting like hell to protect reproductive freedom in Michigan for months and am grateful for today’s lower court ruling declaring our extreme 1931 abortion law unconstitutional.”