(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Abortion locked into Michigan constitution. What comes next. [1] [] Date: 2023-02 With the passage of Proposal 3, opponents say they will “hold sponsors accountable.” “The other side said that’s not true” that other laws are voided, said David Kallman, senior attorney with the faith-based Great Lakes Justice Center. “Well, I guess we’ll see.” Anti-abortion groups will keep an eye on potential lawsuits filed by abortion patients that challenge certain state abortion regulations, such as the parental consent requirements, Wszolek said. If challenges arise, coalition members will appear in court to “remind” proposal sponsors they never intended to repeal those laws, and the abortion rights campaign will face some “backlash,” Wszolek said. “If (Proposal 3 sponsors) are to be trusted, then all that will happen is that the 1931 law will go away,” he said. “We ought to be able to use the words of the sponsors of the proposal to help guide the court (in) how to interpret it.” Liedel, the attorney for Reproductive Freedom for All, told Bridge the campaign does not expect lawsuits challenging any of the state laws opponents said would be at risk under the proposal. “I have zero indication or expectation that there likely will be litigation,” he said. “The proposal is clear.” What will the Legislature do? The newly-elected state Legislature — where Democrats will control both state House and Senate come January — favors abortion rights advocates. Rep. Julie Brixie, D-Okemos, told Bridge Michigan on Tuesday that lawmakers expect to codify Proposal 3, “adjust” or “repeal” certain state laws to make sure they comply with the constitutional amendment. “There will be additional legislation that will be necessary to carry it all out,” Brixie said. Liedel said it would “not be surprising” if the state Legislature repeals the 1931 abortion ban after the constitutional amendment takes effect in late December. The Michigan laws unnecessarily restrict abortion access, including one that limits insurance coverage for abortion and another that requires a 24-hour waiting period, said Elizabeth Nash, principal policy associate at the reproductive health research group Guttmacher Institute. “What Michigan has done is set themselves up to protect reproductive freedoms across the board, including abortion,” Nash told Bridge Michigan. But legislators won’t get to it until the state legislative services bureau — a nonpartisan agency providing research and legislative interpretation to lawmakers — analyzes the impact of the proposal, Brixie said. A Democratic-controlled Legislature means lawmakers could loosen current abortion regulations or invalidate some of them under the new constitutional amendment, Wszolek said. Michigan wasn’t alone. What happened? Michiganders joined voters in at least three other states — California, Vermont and Kentucky —approving ballot measures to confirm abortion access. And Montana voters appeared Wednesday to have done the same. But abortion is unavailable in 14 other states; still others are likely to step up efforts to do the same, according to Guttmacher. Michigan’s vote, as those elsewhere, were the result of a “groundswell of support” from voters, the majority of whom have long believed in reproductive choice, said Nash of Guttmacher. Westland voter Lana Zacharczuk, 46, agreed: “Voters already knew how they feel about abortion.” Even a vigorous campaign that called the proposal “confusing and extreme” would fail, Zacharczuk said Wednesday. “Those signs were never going to make a difference,” she said. Still, nothing was certain, said Renee Chelian, founder of Northland Family Planning Centers, which provide abortion in three southeast Michigan locations. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-health-watch/abortion-locked-michigan-constitution-what-comes-next Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/