News Release: After Appalling RHA Legislation Emerges from Committee, Catholic Conference Calls for Greater Respect for Women’s Health and Safety

(Lansing, Mich.) — Michigan Catholic Conference is calling on the consciences of members of the House of Representatives and state Senate to oppose appalling legislation passed by the House Health Policy Committee this morning that overturns widely-supported limitations on abortion and policies that require accountability and transparency over Michigan abortion facilities.

A package of bills operating under the name Reproductive Health Act (RHA) would legalize third trimester partial-birth abortions in Michigan, deregulate abortion clinics by ending state-required inspection and licensure standards, and remove a Right to Know informed consent for women prior to an abortion, among other provisions.

“The bills that emerged from committee are likely the most extreme policies passed in the recent history of the Legislature due to their blatant prioritization of the abortion industry over women’s health and safety,” said Rebecca Mastee, J.D., policy advocate for Michigan Catholic Conference. “The majority of Michiganders support and expect longstanding regulations and limitations on abortion to remain in place, limits that were legal under Roe v. Wade. All human life, including the life of a woman seeking an abortion, has inherent value and is worthy of legal protection. We call on members of the Michigan Legislature to turn to their consciences and oppose the Reproductive Health Act.”

Bills passed by the committee today that are part of the RHA package would repeal numerous protections currently in place related to abortion limitations, which MCC says will result in:

• Minimal to no transparency or accountability for abortion clinics due to a proposed removal of clinic reporting requirements, including for instances of complications that occur during an abortion.
• More women having an abortion they do not want due to a proposed repeal of a screening for coercion prior to an abortion.
• More aborted children discarded in public waste containers due to a proposed repeal of requirements to dispose of fetal remains safely and humanely.

Polling data from Marketing Resource Group, commissioned by Michigan Catholic Conference in March 2023, found that 90 percent of the public support licensing and inspecting abortion clinics, and nearly two-thirds of those surveyed, 63 percent, support a Right to Know period before an abortion takes place. The poll also revealed that 97 percent of “pro-choice” respondents support clinic regulations while 65 percent are in favor of the 24-hour Right to Know policy.

“The Reproductive Health Act would advance an unregulated abortion environment in Michigan, prioritizing the financial, political and business interests of the abortion industry over the health and safety of women in this state,” Mastee said.

Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.

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