On Wednesday, pro-abortion Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) repealed a 1931 state law banning abortion in the state.
In remarks during a signing ceremony, Whitmer called the pro-life legislation a “zombie law,” because it pre-dates the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States. Last summer, the Supreme Court struck down Roe in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
It’s the start of an important day, Michigan!
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) April 5, 2023
I heard Michiganders speak with a clear voice to protect reproductive freedom in our state. Today, I’m taking action to protect it by signing a repeal of our state’s dangerous 1931 abortion ban. pic.twitter.com/Fkr8k12xjk
“This is not a trigger law, this is a zombie law. This predates Roe, and it’s a threat of coming back to haunt us all” Whitmer said during the ceremony. “Who wants to watch me slay a zombie?”
Today, we are repealing Michigan’s extreme 1931 law that bans abortion and criminalized nurses and doctors for doing their jobs.
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) April 5, 2023
This is long overdue. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/PCOqJhTtb4
"Who wants to watch me slay a zombie?" - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signing three bills killing the state's 92-year-old anti-abortion law. pic.twitter.com/XdCHVfbtkt
— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) April 5, 2023
"When Roe was overturned, a right afforded to Americans for nearly 50 years was stripped away. It horrified me to think that my daughters would have fewer rights than I did growing up. So, while other states were restricting access, we took steps to protect reproductive freedom,” Whitmer wrote on Twitter, adding that she filed a lawsuit that resulted in an injunction against the 1931 law in the event of a Roe overturn.
“By being proactive, we saved lives,” Whitmer wrote, clearly not considering the unborn lives that are ended by abortion.
Before the Dobbs decision, I filed a lawsuit that helped us secure an injunction against enforcement of the 1931 law.
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) April 5, 2023
As a result, there was not a single day when access to abortion was illegal in Michigan.
By being proactive, we saved lives.
Reportedly, a Michigan judge blocked enforcement of the law before a ballot initiative was passed that enshrined abortion rights in the state’s constitution (via The Hill):
A Michigan judge ruled in September that the ban violated the state’s constitution and was unenforceable, and voters enshrined abortion rights in the constitution with a ballot initiative in November.
The ballot initiative meant the law was no longer enforceable, but Whitmer and Democrats in the state wanted to repeal it anyway.
The Michigan House voted 58-50 last month in favor of repeal with the support of two Republicans. The Michigan Senate followed suit a few days later.
During the ceremony, Whitmer, like other pro-abortion governors, urged women to come to her state to obtain the procedure.
“So to all the women and girls and our allies in states that don’t value you or your rights, maybe you should come to Michigan,” she said.
“So to all the women and girls and our allies in states that don’t value you or your rights, maybe you should come to Michigan.”
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 5, 2023
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation on Wednesday repealing a ban from 1931 that made it a crime to assist in an abortion. pic.twitter.com/laTbCtaMQx