Mich. 'reproductive freedom' ballot initiative collects 750K signatures
July 11 (UPI) -- Pro-choice advocates in Michigan announced Monday they have collected more than 750,000 signatures on a petition to amend the state's constitution to guarantee abortion rights.
The Reproductive Freedom for All campaign said its ballot measure campaign generated 753,759 signatures -- well over the 425,059 required to qualify for the ballot in Michigan's Nov. 8 election.
It also marked the largest number of signatures ever collected for a state ballot measure, the group said.
"This victory is YOUR victory," organizers said in a tweet. "Countless petitions, countless volunteer hours, countless miles driven to get every last signature, and *we finally did it.* Now, we are even closer to codifying reproductive rights here in MI once and for all!"
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/mich-reproductive-freedom-ballot-initiative-collects-750k-signatures/ar-AAZsJ8U
Abortion rights poised to go before Michigan voters in fall
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Abortion rights are poised to come before Michigan voters in November after an abortion rights campaign turned in a record-breaking number of signatures Monday for a ballot initiative to the secretary of state’s office.
The effort will further increase attention on Michigan's elections, where the battleground state’s Democratic governor and attorney general have made abortion rights a centerpiece of their reelection campaigns.
The push to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution comes weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and gave states the power to decide whether to ban the procedure. The ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.
Michigan is among several states with a pre-Roe abortion law that was set to take effect if Roe was overturned. However, a judge issued an injunction that temporarily blocked it. The 1931 law would make abortion a felony in all cases, except when “necessary to preserve the life of such woman.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/abortion-rights-poised-to-go-before-michigan-voters-in-fall/ar-AAZsgYp