Michigan State Senator Gretchen Whitmer: “This tells women that were raped and became pregnant that they should have thought ahead and planned for it”

Michigan State Senator Gretchen Whitmer: "This tells women that were raped and became pregnant that they should have thought ahead and planned for it"

Michigan Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer (D – East Lansing) and Senator Rebekah Warren (D – Ann Arbor) called for the immediate repeal of legislation passed on Wednesday, December 11th to prohibit health insurance providers from providing abortion insurance to women in Michigan unless they purchase a separate abortion rider in advance.

"Whether a planned pregnancy has gone horribly wrong and a woman needs a medically necessary D & C procedure, or the deplorable and devastating acts of rape or incest have resulted in an unwanted pregnancy, the Senate Republicans’ passage of this cold-hearted rape insurance proposal means Michigan women now have to anticipate the unimaginable and plan to have these unspeakable things happen to them," said Senator Whitmer. "This is the height of hubris and paternalism that a room full of men have decided they are fit to dictate the terms of Michigan women’s health care, that they can make this decision recklessly without giving a moment’s consideration to the various personal circumstances we women face, and it is an appalling example of political pandering that the Michigan Legislature is bending to the whims of a single high-powered and extreme special interest."

Last week, the State Board of Canvassers approved a petition submitted by Right to Life of Michigan which would prohibit insurers from including abortion coverage in their health insurance policies unless women purchase a separate rider ahead of time. The Michigan Legislature was given 40 legislative session days to make a decision on whether or not to vote on the issue. While many argued the legislation should have been allowed to go before the voters in the next election, Republican legislators ignored such requests and opted to move forward with the proposal.

"To even claim that women will have the option of abortion insurance under this initiative is deceitful. Michigan is not the first state to take action on this issue; seven other states have already enacted this legislation. In five of these seven states, purchasing an abortion rider is not even an available option," said Senator Warren. "In passing this initiative, we are allowing that 4% of Michigan’s people to dictate the health care options for 100% of Michigan women. For that reason, I firmly believe that this policy must be repealed as an insincere representation of the will of the people."

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Michigan State Senator Gretchen Whitmer: "This tells women that were raped and became pregnant that they should have thought ahead and planned for it"

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