Granholm vetoes partial birth abortion ban

Governor hides behind proabortion rhetoric

In the face of overwhelming support from the people and Michigan legislators, Governor Jennifer Granholm, with a stroke of a pen, vetoed state legislation that would have effectively banned partial birth abortion. Granholm's veto message parroted familiar rhetoric from extreme proabortion groups that S.B. 395 would ban abortions without providing adequate protections for the life and health of the mother. The governor ignored clear language in the bill stating that a physician could address a legitimate physical threat to the mother. In citing past federal court decisions striking down previous partial birth abortion bans, Granholm dismissed the completely new legal theory advanced by the bill - the Legal Birth Definition Act.

"The will of the people to end partial birth abortion is clear," said Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing. "Rather than respecting the people's wishes and supporting the creative work of the legislature in crafting this bill, the governor has adopted the most radical of abortion positions. By acting to protect partial birth abortions, Ms. Granholm has shown that she will defend every abortion, no matter how cruel, senseless or trivial," Listing said.

Many political observers expected the veto given the huge proabortion campaign contributions Granholm received in last year's campaign. Proabortion groups like Emily's List funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars into campaign coffers. Despite her self-proclaimed "personally prolife" position, the governor demonstrated that her "100 percent prochoice" position is actually proabortion to the extreme.

RLM will be consulting with the broad, bi-partisan coalition of legislators that supported S.B. 395 to explore the potential for overriding the veto. If the votes needed to override the governor cannot be secured, RLM will move to the option of a citizen petition drive to enact the law.

The citizens' initiative process places a proposed law before both houses of the legislature. If a simple majority in each chamber approves the initiated language, it becomes law automatically, completely bypassing the governor, and does not have to appear on the ballot for a public vote.

RLM successfully used the initiative process to end tax-funded abortion and require parental consent, bypassing vetoes by Governor Blanchard.

"We are absolutely committed to seeing the Legal Birth Definition Act become law. If we must do a petition drive, I have every confidence in the tens of thousands of prolife citizens across Michigan to rise up and make it happen. We will be successful," Mrs. Listing promised.

For more information on this critical life issue, visit www.rtl.org – Right to Life of Michigan's web site.

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