Where the Candidates for Governor Stand on Abortion

Dick Posthumus

Roe vs. Wade
Dick Posthumus believes that life begins at conception, and this has guided him throughout his career in public service to protect everyone’s right to life; the life of the born, unborn, the disabled, and the dying. “Some of the most important work to be done is the one-on-one contact we have with the people closest to us - our family, our friends, and our neighbors. And, one by one, it is my hope that we change hearts on this issue,” Posthumus said.

Partial-Birth Abortion
When Dick Posthumus was Senate Majority Leader in 1996, he voted to ban partial-birth abortion in Michigan’s first attempt to make this horribly gruesome procedure illegal. Lieutenant Governor Posthumus was also a strong supporter of Michigan’s second attempt to ban partial-birth abortion, the Infant Protection Act. This law stated that a partially-born child wasn’t a fetus but a person who deserves to be protected by law. If elected governor, Dick Posthumus would fully back legislation making it illegal to end a child’s life as she is being born.

Public Funding of Abortion
During the 1980’s, Lt. Governor Posthumus fought with fellow prolife legislators to end tax-funded abortions in Michigan. At that time, Michigan tax- payers were financing an average of 19,000 abortions a year at a cost of $6 million per year. With Posthumus’ support, Michigan’s citizens voted for PA 59. This public act banned tax-payer funded abortions. If elected governor, Dick Posthumus would veto any attempt to make Michigan’s tax dollars pay the bill for someone else’s “choice” to end the life of an unborn child.

Informed Consent
for Women Seeking Abortions
During his time in the State Senate, Dick Posthumus worked with fellow legislators to pass the Informed Consent law. This law allows women to make an informed decision about abortion by providing them with information on the risks and alternatives to abortion. They are also provided information about prenatal development and are given 24 hours to review this material. If elected governor, Dick Posthumus would continue to make sure that women are given the information to help them make an informed decision.

Jennifer Granholm

Roe vs. Wade
“I fully support Roe vs. Wade,” Jennifer Granholm said of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. Granholm, who proclaims her Catholicism, says she would defend a woman’s access to abortion and supports an increase in abortion clinics.

Partial-Birth Abortion
As Attorney General, Jennifer Granholm decided to let her defense of abortion influence her duties as the state’s top law enforcer. She didn’t defend Michigan’s Infant Protection Act. In deciding not to challenge an inadequate ruling by a single judge, Granholm failed to protect a law that was passed by an overwhelming number of Michigan’s elected lawmakers and favored by a large majority of Michigan’s citizens. If elected governor, what would Jennifer Granholm do when further attempts to prevent killing a child while she is being born pass the Michigan legislature?

Public Funding of Abortion
Jennifer Granholm has stated she supports the use of tax dollars for abortions. Also, as a candidate who is endorsed by EMILY’s List, Jennifer Granholm must support tax dollars being used to pay for abortions. When former EMILY’s List endorsee Kathy Karpan of Wyoming said she was against tax dollars being used to pay for abortions, EMILY’s List removed her from their endorsement list and stopped supporting her. If elected governor, Jennifer Granholm would favor reinstating tax-funded abortions.

Informed Consent
for Women Seeking Abortions
Granholm opposes Michigan’s Informed Consent law. In her answer to the Detroit Free Press’ question about this issue, Granholm ignorantly said, “(Abortion clinics) have always provided medically reliable information to all of their clients and were doing so long before this law went into effect.” Unfortunately, this is light-years from the truth considering that abortion providers fought passionately to keep this legislation from becoming law. Even after the law was passed, many abortion providers attempted to get around it by providing inaccurate information on their web sites.

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