Trying to convince a woman to get an abortion against her will would become a crime under a pair of bills passed by the Senate Thursday, Kathleen Gray reports in the Free Press.
The bills are needed, supporters said, to protect women from threats from family, employers, pimps and human traffickers who want a woman to end a pregnancy.
"This particular bill today addresses individuals who through force, fraud or coercion may be forced to violate their principles and end the life of another human being," said Sen. Judy Emmons, R-Sheridan, who sponsored the bill.
Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, said the bills aren't needed because current abortion laws require providers to carefully screen women seeking abortions to ensure they haven't been coerced into getting the procedure. She offered an amendment — which failed — that would have made it a crime to coerce a woman to keep a pregnancy against her will.
"This is an answer seeking a question. It's already the law in Michigan," she said.
