Michigan anti-abortion group submits petition to outlaw abortion procedure

LANSING, Mich. - A ballot group has submitted petitions to prohibit a second-trimester abortion procedure in Michigan. The Michigan Values Life committee says it turned in nearly 380,000 voter signatures to the state on Monday. It needs roughly 340,000 signatures.

If the petitions are certified as valid, the Republican-led Legislature will have a 40-day window to pass the initiative, and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer can't veto it. The dilation and evacuation procedure was used in 7% of abortions in Michigan last year.

Anti-abortion groups call it "dismemberment." Abortion-rights groups say the procedure is safe and constitutional.