Abortion remains heated topic 51 years after Roe v. Wade decision
MID-MICHIGAN (WNEM) – Fifty-one years ago on Jan. 22, the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the United States in the case of Roe v. Wade. After the decision was overturned in June 2022, Michigan remains one of many states where abortion is legal, but it remains a heated topic.
It’s been nearly two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending one of the most historic rulings seen in the last half-century.
On Monday, Jan. 22, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, efforts to protect the right to reproductive healthcare for Michigan families continue.
“Abortion care is healthcare,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for the State of Michigan.
And healthcare is a fundamental right.
On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued the landmark 7-2 decision recognizing a constitutional right to choose.
In 2022, that was reversed, leaving each state to decide for themselves.
“Here in Michigan, because of the work done by our governor and many others who really led the charge to make sure reproductive care is available, we have not suffered some of the impacts that women and girls in other states have had to endure,” Bagdasarian said.
Bagdasarian said Proposal 3 and a number of other efforts have protected Michigan women’s right to decide, but she said the fight isn’t over.
“There have been continued threats to access to drugs like Mifepristone,” she said. “In fact, there is a court case that will go before the Supreme Court likely in June that will talk about whether or not Mifepristone will be accessible.”
With this being an election year, the topic is expected to be a major driving force at the polls.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke on the matter in Detroit on Monday.
“If Donald Trump returns to the White House, things will only get worse because we know the ultimate goal is clear: to ban abortion in all 50 states. A national ban is what they are talking about,” Whitmer said.
In December, Whitmer signed the final piece of the Reproductive Health Act into law. It repealed statutes that criminalized nurses and doctors for providing abortion care to their patients.
We’ll be able to better gauge where things stand after the Michigan primaries on Feb. 27.
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