Petition created to add abortion rights to Michigan constitution

DETROIT — A coalition of advocacy organizations hope to compile enough signatures from Michigan voters to change the state’s constitution in order to ensure people have the right to an abortion.

The group — comprised of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, ACLU of Michigan and nonprofit Michigan Voices — launched the bid to put a constitutional amendment before voters as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to rule on cases that may imperil a nearly 50-year-old decision affirming abortions are legal.

“The vast majority of Michiganders want abortion to remain safe, legal, and accessible,” said Nicole Wells Stallworth, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan.

“We are exploring a ballot measure that would preserve every individual’s constitutional right to make the very personal decision about reproductive health care, including abortion and keep those decisions between the individual and their medical professional. We all have the right to determine our own futures.”

Michigan is one of 26 states that still has a law on the books that makes it illegal for a someone to perform an abortion or assist someone in an abortion unless necessary to save the life of the pregnant person. That law was essentially nullified after the 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, but it was never repealed.

That means if the high court rescinds or changes the Roe ruling, the law would likely take effect again.

If that were to happen, almost 2.2 million would would lose access to abortions, according to a 2021 created by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda.

“Anyone who has had to make the decision about whether or not to have an abortion, no matter the reason, knows to their core that it is deeply personal and should be reserved for them in consultation with their doctor and their loved ones,” said Loren Khogali, executive director of ACLU of Michigan.