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Both sides of abortion debate dig in for battle at ballot box after state court ruling

By and David Komer online producer
Published  September 8, 2022 10:48pm EDT
Roe v. Wade
FOX 2 Detroit

Both sides of the abortion debate double down after state supreme court ruling

Both pro-abortion and those against it are calling for their sides to show up at the polls in November following Thursday's Michigan State Supreme Court ruling putting the right to choose on the ballot.

FOX 2 - The future of abortion in Michigan will now be up to you, the voters.

The Michigan "Reproductive Freedom For All" proposal will now appear on the November ballot as ordered by the state Supreme Court in a 5-2 decision handed down Thursday.  This comes on the heels of a judge’s ruling, calling the state’s controversial 1931 law banning abortion, unconstitutional.

Steven Lidel is an attorney for the Reproductive Freedom for All campaign.

"We’re pleased, but not surprised," he said. "We told the Board of Canvassers last week, that we believe they have a clear legal duty to certify this petition."

The State Supreme Court decision means the Board of Canvassers must add the measure to the ballot one day before it gets locked in for the election.

Opponents previously raised a challenge over things like text spacing and confusing language causing that party line deadlock on the election board.

"As a lawyer, it was pretty straight-forward to me," Lidel said. "What did the law require? Did the petition comply with the law?"

More coverage: Abortion rights will appear on November ballot, Michigan Supreme Court rules

"The court got it wrong today, this petition is fatally flawed," said Christen Pollo.

Pollo, with Protect Life Michigan, is railing against the decision.

"This amendment is riddled with serious mistakes," she said. "We should not put 60 mistakes into our state Constitution forever. But now this extreme amendment will be defeated by voters as they learn about the many dangerous consequences that this will have on the women of our state."

The Michigan Supreme Court‘s order won the praise of Governor Gretchen Whitmer who tweeted: "Make no mistake: in Michigan, we will never stop fighting for reproductive freedom together."

Related: Abortion on November ballot will bring wave of Democrat voters out, says pollster

The State Attorney General doing the same saying: "It's official, Michigan! Just in case you needed more motivation to vote this fall, the MI Supreme Court ruled that the future of reproductive freedom and voting rights will be on the ballot."

Both parties have claimed motivation to flood the polls after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V Wade in the summer.  And after today's decision, both sides are digging their heels in.

"They have the opportunity to ensure that Michigan women will have the freedom to make highly personal decisions about abortion themselves," Lidel said.

"This proposal doesn’t just go back to the days of Roe V Wade," said Pollo. "It repeals parental consent laws, it repeals Michigan’s partial birth abortion ban."

The Board of Canvassers meets tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. to finalize the ruling.