The Michigan House passed legislation on Tuesday that would ban a specific late term abortion procedure that is already banned by the federal government. The bill, which is similar to one that was passed by the Michigan state Senate in January (see PDF), would criminalize abortion providers for performing the procedure, but offers no exception for the health of the mother. The procedure would only be permitted to prevent the death of the woman.
Opponents of the bill expect a veto from Michigan’s governor. Liz Boyd, Governor Jennifer Granholm’s press secretary, told the Detroit News, “We don’t support this legislation and have vetoed similar legislation in the past. We continue to be concerned about the health of the mother.” An override of a veto requires a majority of two-thirds in both the state House and state Senate.
Michigan health officials announced last week that the number of abortions in 2007 were the lowest on record. According to the Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, James McCurtis, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Community Health attributes the decline in part to the “continuous push to expand access to family planning in low-income areas” in the state.
