Michigan Voters Approve Constitutional Amendment to Protect Reproductive Freedom

11.09.2022 – (PRESS STATEMENT) Voters in Michigan tonight passed Proposition 3, voting to amend their state constitution to affirm the right of every Michigander to reproductive freedom, including the right to abortion. Earlier tonight, voters in Vermont also voted to protect the right to abortion in their constitution. 

Tonight’s vote means that a pre-Roe ban on abortion in Michigan, originally passed in 1846, will remain permanently blocked. State officials had attempted to enforce the ban after Roe was overturned in June, and it is currently being challenged in state court. 

Statement from Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, who is on the ground in Michigan tonight:

“This is a seismic win for abortion rights in a battleground state. First in Kansas, and now in Michigan and Vermont, voters are rejecting the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe and issuing a clarion call that they want their rights constitutionally protected. When people can vote directly on abortion in a non-partisan ballot initiative, abortion rights win.

This victory is also a win for people in the neighboring states of Indiana and Ohio, where abortion is banned. Until there is national legislation that protects abortion rights across the country, we will continue to work to ensure that state constitutions protect the right to abortion.”

Voters in Kentucky and Montana are also voting on abortion-related ballot initiatives tonight, which have not yet been called. The Center for Reproductive Rights’ interactive map shows the status of abortion access in each state. 

About Proposition 3: This constitutional amendment affirms that every Michigander has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which involves the right to make and carry out
decisions without political interference about all matters relating to pregnancy, including birth control, abortion, prenatal care, and childbirth. The group Michigan Reproductive Freedom For All has been spearheading the effort to make Proposition 3 a reality and was critical in tonight’s victory.

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