Health

Planned Parenthood: Requests for Michigan abortions up 50% since Roe's fall

June 29, 2022, 1:15 PM

Featured_abortion_photo_credit_rebecca_cook_54893
Protest in downtown Detroit last Friday. (Photo: Rebecca Cook)

Michigan has seen a spike in women seeking abortions following the U.S. Supreme Court's Friday decision overturning Roe V. Wade as providers expect an influx of patients from areas with more limited access.

The state has emerged as a potential abortion safe haven despite an ongoing legal battle over a dormant 1931 ban. A preliminary injunction has blocks it from going into effect for now.

Planned Parenthood says requests for abortion appointments in the state were up 50% over the weekend and that call volume doubled, The Detroit News reports.

Stricter rules have gone into effect or are on the horizon in two border states:

In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine has promised to begin enforcement of a "heartbeat bill" blocking all abortions after six weeks and said he would sign legislation banning all abortions in the state. In Indiana, abortions are not banned, but the future of the procedure depends on new laws passed by the Republican-controlled state Legislature and is likely to see new restrictions.

Michigan, meanwhile, could become a secure access zone if the state Supreme Court rules to invalidate the 1931 law, as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has asked, or if an initiative enshrining reproductive rights in the state constitution is passed by voters in November. The drive's organizers say they've collected more than enough petition signatures to submit the proposal for ballot approval. 

Related today:

Support swells for Michigan abortion rights ballot proposal, which reportedly exceeds signatures needed


Read more:  The Detroit News


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