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Republicans Aim to Ban Abortion and Contraceptives
In 2022, Michigan voters amended the state constitution to guarantee women the right to make their own reproductive decisions. In contrast, many Republican-led governments in other states have already enacted bans or severe restrictions on abortion. More ominously, at the federal level, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives continue to promote a nation-wide ban on abortions, with no exceptions, that would override the guarantee promised to Michigan women. To complement their anti-abortion agenda, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are also taking aim at contraception.
To this end, Republicans have introduced the “Life at Conception Act.” There are over 120 co-sponsors of this alarming legislation, including Representative Bill Huizenga (Michigan CD-4).
According to the summary on congress.gov:
“This bill declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization…”
In addition to the obvious attempt to control women’s reproduction, this legislation demonstrates troubling ignorance of the human reproduction process. Before a fertilized egg can develop, it must implant in a woman’s uterus. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) estimates that 1/3 to 1/2 of all fertilized eggs ("children" under the proposed bill), whether created naturally or through in vitro fertilization (IVF), do not implant and are subsequently discharged through menstruation. How would such a law deal with the loss of these “children”?
Also according to the ACOG, in addition to preventing egg fertilization, all non-barrier methods of contraception (condoms are a “barrier” method) can act to prevent fertilized eggs from implanting in a woman’s uterus. So, you can see where this is going. In a world where abortion is banned, if contraceptives can cause the destruction of fertilized eggs and fertilized eggs are “children”, then it logically follows that contraceptives must be banned.
Such a logical outcome of the Republican agenda at the national level would not only strip away the right of Michigan women to seek abortion care that is now enshrined in our constitution, it would eliminate access to contraceptive drugs used by a majority of women to manage their reproductive lives.
A majority of Michiganders oppose this extreme Republican agenda that Representative Huizenga supports. To protect the rights of women in Michigan to make their own reproduction decisions we must elect candidates like Jessica Swartz. She understands that reproductive care is health care and that women should make these decisions in consultation with medical professionals, not politicians.
Written by: Tim M
Not authorized by any candidate or campaign.