Voting on Healthcare in Michigan

Liz Gullett

Nov 04, 2022

Next week, Michigan voters will decide on a proposal enshrining certain healthcare rights into the Michigan constitution. This proposal comes as a response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the United States Supreme Court. When SCOTUS issued their ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the federal protections under Roe were taken away and left to each state to decide. In Michigan, this meant the 1931 ban on abortion in the state went into effect. However, in the spring, legal action was taken in Michigan and following several other rulings, a Court of Claims Judge ruled the 1931 abortion ban is unconstitutional.

In order to make abortion access a right under the Michigan Constitution, a group circulated petitions and collected the necessary number of valid signatures. However, the State Board of Canvassers deadlocked 2-2 on certifying the petition, which meant it wasn’t headed for the ballot. The group behind the proposal appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court, which ordered the certification, placing it on the ballot this election cycle.

The proposal outlines a number of individual rights including the right to make and carry out decisions on prenatal care, childbirth, contraception, abortion, miscarriage management, infertility, among others. Additionally, it allows the state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, but not prohibit it if it’s medically necessary to protect a person’s physical or mental health.

To read the full ballot language, please click here.

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