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On November 8, the polls opened for the midterm elections. Many Americans did their civic duty and voted for who they believed best represented their county, city and state. In Michigan, residents voted to decide if a woman’s right to choose whether to carry a pregnancy to term or not should be constitutionally protected.
The trial of Roe v Wade (1973) proclaims that the constitution has to recognize a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy by abortion. This trial made headlines once again as it was overturned on June 24, 2022, meaning that abortion is no longer a federal constitutional right. A woman having the right to terminate a pregnancy is now completely in control of the individual states.
In Michigan, the decision of allowing women to be in charge of their reproductive rights was put on the ballot for the people to decide. This was presented under Proposal 3 (Prop 3).
The proposal was approved, meaning that aborting a pregnancy is protected and up to the mother in Michigan. Other states, like California and Vermont, have done the same. There was also a re-election of Governor Gretchen Whitmer. As a woman, this is reassuring news, for I know that Michigan has a leader who supports women being in charge of their own reproductive rights.
As a woman who knows I deserve control over my own body, I believe that Michigan’s “yes” vote on Prop 3 is a progression of female civil rights but should not have been necessary in the first place. Women shouldn’t have to worry about having their own personal bodies being under their own control.
Voices against Prop 3 are often in support of the fetus over the mother. Prop 3 doesn’t ignore a developed fetus that could live outside the womb; it lets the mother have a choice to terminate the pregnancy for whatever reason unless the fetus is viable, which means the fetus has reached the stage of development as to be capable of living outside the uterus. If viable, the state can intervene on behalf of the fetus.
“The state could regulate abortion after the fetus is viable, but it could not under any circumstances prohibit an abortion that is medically indicated to protect the life, physical health, or mental health of the pregnant individual,” The Michigan House of Representatives said.
Additionally, most abortions in Michigan occur prior to the fetus being viable outside the womb, which happens around 24 weeks after gestation.
“In 2019, the majority of the abortions performed in Michigan, 87 percent, occurred at 12 weeks of gestation or earlier. One percent were performed earlier than five weeks, 64 percent from five to eight weeks of gestation, and 22 percent between nine and 12 weeks,” Tessa Longbons from Lozier Institute said.
Therefore in 87 percent of Michigan abortions, the procedure is completed in the first trimester which is conception to 12 weeks. At this point, the fetus is barely formed and could not live outside the womb. The safety of a ‘baby’ should not be a concern over the mother if the fetus is not viable. If the fetus is starting to harm the mother, the mother should be the bigger concern, not less significant than trying to save a non-viable fetus.
High school sign language teacher Jill Maxwell proudly voted yes on Prop 3. A woman’s right to control her own body is not a topic she takes lightly.
“It is our right as women to not be treated as second-class citizens, and nobody has a right to tell me about my healthcare,” Maxwell said. “We’re looking at this as an abortion issue; it’s a health care issue.”
Although things have seemed rocky lately with monumental court cases being overturned, there seems to still be hope for the younger generation to fix the mistakes of past issues. At Whitmer’s last rally, which Maxwell attended, she saw something that made her feel very emotional and hopeful for the future.
“I saw this group of young boys that were Michigan State students, and as [Michigan’s Attorney General] Dana Nessel was talking about women’s healthcare and women’s rights to abortion, [they were applauding,]” Maxwell said. “I looked at this group of boys, and they looked at me, and I got really emotional, because they cared about something that was about me, but then I thought about it. It’s about them, it’s about their moms, it’s about their sisters, it’s about potential girlfriends or wives, and it gave me hope.”
No matter who we are or what we believe in, as Americans, we need to come together to make the world we live in better and equal for both men and women. The passage of Prop 3 in Michigan was a step in the right direction.
