Following a Michigan Appeals Court ruling on Monday that would allow county prosecutors to begin enforcing Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has filed for a restraining order to prevent the ruling from taking effect. The governor’s office has released the following:
Governor Gretchen Whitmer took immediate action to protect access to abortion in Michigan after the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled today that county prosecutors can enforce the state’s extreme 1931 law that criminalizes abortion without exceptions for rape or incest and punishes doctors and nurses who offer reproductive health care. The governor’s request for a temporary restraining order builds on her ongoing efforts to protect abortion in Michigan after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson overturning a 49-year precedent set by Roe v Wade.
“Today’s dangerous decision by the Michigan Court of Appeals clears a path for county prosecutors to use Michigan’s extreme 1931 abortion ban to prosecute doctors and nurses and jail them for doing their jobs,” said Governor Whitmer. “That is why I have taken immediate action and filed a request for a temporary restraining order against enforcement. We cannot risk further confusion for women, health care providers, and all Michiganders. As today’s unexpected action proves, the overturn of Roe v Wade in June has left reproductive freedom hanging by a thread in Michigan. I have taken a number of unprecedented steps to protect the 2.2 million women in Michigan who would lose the right to control their own bodies. I will keep fighting like hell to protect women and health care providers.”
The motion for a temporary restraining order can be viewed here.
