Editorial: Michigan voters can show the country how to protect abortion rights
Michigan voters can show the country how to protect abortion rights
I wish I could explain the frustration of my own recent campaign to elect Michigan’s first Democratic majority. The state was an important battleground. I ran to the right. But the party didn’t respect the will of the voters and I was defeated by the most conservative Democrat in the state Legislature.
With the election of Rick Snyder, the governor, the Republican majority on the state House and Senate turned out for a conservative vote and we were elected as a party to continue protecting our rights.
I am so proud. I’m honored to lead the way for women in this state and to continue fighting to protect their rights. I will continue to oppose any measure that puts another obstacle in front of women seeking abortions and I call on prolife and pro-choice advocates to continue the fight to win the right to choose.
As Republicans continue to block women’s choice, a new battle is taking shape in the state house. This battle will decide whether or not to allow women to have a choice regarding whether or not to carry a baby to full term.
The first step in the debate is to take the floor.
In fact, that is the first step for women seeking to have a choice about the medical treatment of their bodies.
They must take the floor.
This is their business. This is their body. This is their decision.
The state can’t tell them or anyone else what to do.
The state can’t prohibit them from having control over their own bodies.
I am so proud of the group that we have. From the League of Women Voters to the ACLU, we come from all sides of the political spectrum. They have stood up for women for generations.
As it turns out, most of the women have voted Democratic in their lifetimes. So their vote was not only for women’s rights, but for a Democratic party in the Senate and House in which the women’s seat always has been held by a woman.
Women also have voted against Republicans five times and we made it five. That is why we won that first important battle this session. The Republicans lost the debate.
We can say we won. But the state house will not accept the women’s vote as final. We have to fight. We must win
