Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Applauds Gov. Whitmer’s Executive Order to Protect Those Seeking Abortion Care in Michigan
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Contact: [email protected]
Washington, DC — Today, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order refusing to extradite people who travel to Michigan seeking abortion care. It also protects Michigan providers from being extradited for prosecution in another state if they provide abortion care to somebody from out of state.
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju released the following statement in response:
“Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has become a national leader in the fight for reproductive freedom by using every tool at her disposal to protect and expand access to care for Michiganders and everybody who might cross the state’s borders to access the care they need. Today’s executive order is just the latest in a long line of creative, impactful actions the governor has taken to safeguard abortion access, and we know people in Michigan can count on her to continue that work. Her leadership in this pivotal moment is why NARAL and our more than 124,200 members in Michigan will continue to support her as she fights to protect our freedom to decide if, when, and how to start or grow a family.”
Governor Whitmer has been a bold champion in the fight for reproductive freedom. NARAL endorsed her campaign for reelection last month. She previously joined 16 other governors in calling on Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) to safeguard the legal right to abortion throughout the United States under federal law. Gov. Whitmer also filed a lawsuit and used her executive authority to ask the Michigan Supreme Court to immediately resolve whether Michigan’s constitution protects the right to abortion. Gov. Whitmer prioritized abortion care in the state amidst the pandemic, defunding anti-choice fake health centers that intentionally lie to people about abortion and denouncing Texas’ vigilante-enforced ban on abortion (TX SB 8). Before her tenure as governor, Whitmer consistently voted against legislation that restricted access to abortion as a Michigan state representative and state senator.
Gov. Whitmer’s actions come in the aftermath of the anti-choice supermajority on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This cruel decision opened the door for extremist state lawmakers to enforce extreme bans on abortion. Roughly half of the states in the country are at risk of banning abortion, and thus far, 11 states have bans in place and many more are rushing to do the same. The people hurt most by these bans and restrictions are those who already face barriers to accessing abortion care—including women; Black, Indigenous, and other people of color; those working to make ends meet; the LGBTQ+ community; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; and people with disabilities.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its more than 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.