The lives of the unborn in Michigan have been spared by a word spacing error . . . for now. On Wednesday, the Board of State Canvassers refused to place a referendum on the ballot that would have presented voters a yes-or-no choice on whether to effectively legalize abortion up to the moment of birth and prohibit legislation that limits the barbaric practice.
This radical proposal is entirely out of step with where most Americans are on abortion policy. The ballot initiative’s demise is a welcome sign for pro-lifers in Michigan, who have been under siege by Democrats in Lansing since the Dobbs decision.
Michigan has a statute on the books dating back to 1931 that bans abortion in all circumstances unless the mother’s life is in danger. Now that Roe has been overturned, this law is again seen as constitutionally permissible by the judiciary.
But while this battle may have been won, the war is just beginning. The board’s party-line deadlock decision, or lack thereof, could easily be overturned by the courts. Should the proposed amendment ever make it onto the ballot, pro-lifers must do their utmost to expose what would occur if voters gave it their approval.
Indeed, it’s entirely plausible that many Michiganders who consider themselves pro-choice would be opposed to this proposal because of its greenlighting of late-stage purely elective abortion on demand.
If conservatives don’t want to see what happened in Kansas repeat itself but do want to stop the post-Dobbs backlash against the GOP in its tracks, they must demonstrate how dogmatic progressives have become on this issue. Democrats are pretending they have the moderate view on abortion. Republicans must show how radical Democrats really are.