Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Politics and Government News
Christopher Dean Hopkins, NPR

Michigan shapes up as one of the next abortion battlefronts

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks to abortion-rights protesters Friday at a rally outside the state capitol in Lansing, Mich., following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks to abortion-rights protesters Friday at a rally outside the state capitol in Lansing, Mich., following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Paul Sancya/AP

As soon as the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, some states' trigger laws banning abortion began to take effect. In others, including Michigan, bans from before Roe had never been taken off the books, and may take effect again.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she's doing everything possible to keep that from happening — including filing a lawsuit to block the 1931 law. Advocates are also pushing for a ballot measure in the fall that would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution.

It's a precarious, scary time for pregnant people in her state, Whitmer told NPR — and for those in neighboring Ohio and Indiana, where abortion likely will be strictly limited.

Interview highlights

The steps being taken to protect abortion in Michigan, and the risks if those efforts fail

"We've filed a lawsuit to ask the state supreme court to recognize a woman's right to bodily autonomy under the state constitution. There's another lawsuit that was filed by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU that has got an injunction on the 1931 law. Unfortunately that's being appealed....

"Today, women still have access to full reproductive health care in Michigan. However, should that injunction fall, we would revert back to a 1931 law that would make it a felony; no exceptions for rape or incest."

Medical providers are worried the impact will extend beyond Roe v. Wade

"It's not just abortion in the traditional sense — it's IVF, it's any procedure OB-GYNs do regularly to protect women, to preserve their ability to reproduce in the future, to empower women to make their own health care decisions. So there's a lot of confusion in the medical establishment, there's a lot of confusion that women in our families are feeling. It's a terribly anxious time right now for all of us."

On government warnings that the ruling could spur political violence

"This has been on my mind since the Trump administration, where people felt entitled to threaten my life, and threaten the lives of public health officials, threaten lives of people who disagree with them. That's not who we are, that's not how this democracy is supposed to operate. And I do think that the Supreme Court's recent decisions have made America a more dangerous place. And I'm worried about that."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.