Reason to celebrate, 15 years in the making

Governor Rick Snyder signs Partial Birth Abortion Ban into law

Fifteen years is a long time.

A journey in Michigan to protect children more born than not from a ghastly abortion procedure began in 1996. Recently, the efforts of hundreds of thousands of prolife people ended with a victory.

On October 11, 2011, Governor Rick Snyder signed into law Public Acts 168 and 169 of 2011 banning partial birth abortions in Michigan.

Four previous bans had been passed by Michigan lawmakers. Three had been enacted and then struck down by federal courts. The fourth was vetoed by former Governor Jennifer Granholm.

The Michigan Senate and House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved identical bills banning partial birth abortion on Wednesday, September 21, 2011, with votes of 29-8 and 75-33 in the respective chambers. The bills closely followed the Federal ban which was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007.

Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing praised the leadership provided by Michigan legislators and the bipartisan nature of the vote. “We are grateful for the sponsors of this legislation, the committee chairs, and the leadership in both chambers who insured the passage of this bill. These super-majority votes of both Democrats and Republicans demonstrate that the issue of protecting human life transcends party lines.”

More than 15 years ago the reality of this horrific abortion procedure first came into the public light. Since that time, prolife citizens in Michigan have partnered with elected officials to ban partial birth abortions. The final step to this journey, Governor Snyder’s signature, restores a sense of sanity and restores more respect for human life.

Thankfully the people of Michigan never gave up the goal of having a partial birth abortion ban on Michigan’s law books. Michigan joins dozens of other states in declaring that there is no right, constitutional or otherwise, to kill a child inches from complete birth. This Michigan law will be enforceable by state officials, including the attorney general and local prosecutors. The law is slated to take effect on January 1, 2012.

Listing said, “Partial birth abortion is a heinous act of killing a child who is more born than unborn and it breaches every boundary of human dignity and justice. But even with this great achievement behind us, our steadfast prolife work remains. The ban on partial birth abortion is just the tip of our current legislative iceberg. Before this current legislative session ends, we hope to pass an historic number of prolife bills in Michigan. This momentous ban is just the beginning!”

© RIGHT TO LIFE OF MICHIGAN, 2340 PORTER ST SW, PO BOX 901, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49509-0901, (616) 532-2300
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