Whitmer implores Michigan Supreme Court to decide whether state constitution protects abortion right

(Detroit Metro Times) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is urging the Michigan Supreme Court to “immediately” decide whether the state constitution protects abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade on Friday.

In the motion, attorneys for Whitmer say the court’s insight is “urgently needed.”

Michigan is one of 26 states with a law banning abortion. The state’s 1931 abortion ban was invalidated when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of abortion rights in Roe v. Wade in 1973. But now that the case has been overturned, the 1931 ban could go back into effect.

Last month, a Michigan Court of Claims judge issued a preliminary injunction against the 1931 law in response to a Planned Parenthood of Michigan lawsuit that argues the state’s constitution protects abortion rights. Judge Elizabeth Gleicher said Planned Parenthood is likely to prevail in its lawsuit.

But the injunction is temporary.

....(snip)....

“So long as this uncertainty persists, it will work to deny Michiganders their rights under the Michigan Constitution and have profound and irreversible consequences on Michiganders’ lives,” the motion states. “This Court is the only forum with the power to fully resolve that uncertainty and conclusively settle whether Michigan’s criminal abortion ban.” .........(more)

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/whitmer-implores-michigan-supreme-court-to-decide-whether-state-constitution-protects-abortion-rights-30397833