For the opposing argument, click here.
(())Michigan voters should support ballot Proposal 3, which would guarantee the right to reproductive freedom under the state constitution, to adhere to the principles of limited government, oppose conservative abortion extremism, and support religious freedom.
This amendment to Michigan’s consitution would guarantee bodily autonomy for women throughout the state and prohibit legislation restricting abortion until “fetal viability.” The proposal comes after the landmark Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned decades of legal precedent surrounding abortion rights and sent the issue back to the states.
Many pro-life advocates have painted this amendment as extreme, arguing it allows an unlimited and unregulated right to abortion. However, those who have actually read the proposal will quickly recognize that the amendment is quite limited in scope. Unlike most restrictions on reproductive freedom, the proposal makes very clear the definition of fetal viability, putting the decision in the hands of medical professionals instead of promoting a subjective principle administered by government officials, most of whom are not adequately equipped to handle these decisions.
The amendment allows for doctors and nurses to do their jobs without fear of legal action being brought against them. Since the Dobbs decision, countless stories have been in the news exhibiting the newfound fear put into doctors when tasked with handling miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, or other reproductive issues. This proposal would follow the principles of limited government, allowing women, aided by their physicians, to make their own decisions on pregnancies. Women do not take these decisions lightly, recognizing the socioeconomic factors of birthing a child as well as those in raising a child. Lawyers and legislators, the vast majority of whom are men, should not be inserting themselves into these decisions.
The proposal is also vital for the principle of religious freedom already established in the Michigan Constitution under Article I, Section 2. While many oppose the idea of abortion based on their faith, not all believers share these views. The National Council of Jewish Women, in their advocacy resource “Judaism and Abortion,” argues that abortion is compulsory if the life of the mother is at stake. If Michigan’s legislature were to restrict all abortion without exception, as has been proposed by Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, it would violate the religious freedoms of Jewish people in the state.
Abortion extremism, a huge danger to Americans all over the nation, is on the ballot for Michiganders this fall, not in their response to Proposal 3, but in their vote in the gubernatorial race. If Dixon gets her way, a 10-year-old child who is a victim of rape would be forced to carry her pregnancy to term. This is extreme and unthinkable, but it is the future the Republican candidate endorses, and we have already seen in Ohio that situations such as these occur, forcing women across states lines to have abortions. Proposal 3 would oppose this extremism, and leave the decision where it should be, with the women affected by the legislation. The limited scope of the amendment and the clearly established recent tendency of Republicans toward extremism on the issue makes this a no-brainer for Michiganders. Vote yes on Proposal 3 for freedom, equality, and medical expertise.
