On Monday, Michigan’s Court of Appeals ruled abortion a crime except in cases to save the mother’s life, Detroit Free Press reports. The ban, first written into law in 1931, was blocked by a judge, but later overturned by the appeals court. However, seven Michigan prosecutors say they will not prosecute abortion cases. The seven, all Democrats, say that they refuse to criminalize reproductive freedom. They believe that criminalizing abortion will lead to unsafe situations for health care providers and those seeking abortions. The seven prosecutors are Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey Getting, Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon, Marquette County Prosecutor Matthew Wiese, Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit and Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton. They, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, are dedicated to protecting access to abortion in the swing state.
Despite this pushback from Democrats, many Republican prosecutors say that they will enforce the 1931 law. This includes Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido. In Macomb County, doctors who perform abortions could be charged with a felony. Republicans in Kent and Jackson counties also plan to enforce the ban. Kent County prosecutor Christopher Becker said that he plans to review abortion cases as he would any other criminal case. The Michigan Supreme Court will likely review the 1931 abortion ban, and ultimately decide whether or not to allow abortion in the state. There is also a movement to allow voters to decide whether to change the state constitution to include the right to abortion.
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