The Reproductive Freedom for All campaign and its coalition, volunteers and supporters collected 753,759 signatures from every county in the state to qualify for the November ballot, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan announced Monday morning.
More than 2,000 volunteers helped gather signatures far exceeding the 425,059 required. The coalition says it garnered more signees than any previous ballot initiative in state history and submitted its petition July 11 to the Michigan Secretary of State. The proposal, assuming signatures are verified and declared sufficient by the Board of State Canvassers, would appear on the Nov. 8 ballot.
“The Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade will not take away the rights and freedoms of people in Michigan to determine if and when they become a parent,” American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan Executive Director Loren Khogali said in a statement.
“We will not allow forced pregnancy in our state, nor will we stand by as the devastating impacts of a post-Roe world disproportionately impact people of color, LGBTQ+ communities, young people, low-income people, and those living in rural areas. This is your body, your ballot, your choice.”
The proposal, if approved by voters, would amend the Michigan constitution to guarantee the right to make decisions about abortion, contraception, miscarriage management and other reproductive concerns.
Since January, when the effort launched, more than 62,000 people signed up to support the coalition, a partnership of the ACLU, Planned Parenthood Advocates and Michigan Voices, which aids nonprofits led by and engaging Black and Indigenous people and people of color. About 30,000 of them acted after Politico published a draft opinion in May foretelling the Jan. 24 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule Roe v. Wade, the watershed ruling that had shielded abortion rights for almost 50 years. There were resulting protests across the state.
Without the federal protection, Michigan’s 1931 law banning abortion could take effect. It is currently blocked by court injunction. The statute says its a crime to procure a miscarriage except to save the life of a mother.
RELATED: Abortion is still legal in Michigan. It might not stay that way.
The Bureau of Elections will next check the campaign’s signatures and also accept challenges. The bureau will report its findings to the Board of State Canvassers, a bipartisan panel that oversees ballot items. Its next meeting is Thursday, July 21.
“The Reproductive Freedom for All campaign’s record-breaking signature submission reflects the urgency and grassroots energy powering this movement,” Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan Executive Director Nicole Wells Stallworth said in the statement.
“A clear majority of Michiganders want to keep abortion legal. Supporters from every corner of this state, from every walk of life, are signing up to volunteer, donate, and share their stories to ensure politicians can’t interfere in our most personal medical decisions. That momentum will power us toward victory in November.”
RELATED: Michigan abortion-rights amendment is too ‘far-reaching,’ opponents say
Michigan Voices Executive Director Sommer Foster said she sat in a Canton coffee shop to collect signatures a week after Roe fell. In three hours, a few hundred people signed the petition.
“I heard their stories of why this measure is important to them. An 18-year-old came in and registered to vote online just so that he could sign the petition. Michiganders want to be able to make their own decisions regarding their healthcare and they do not want politicians or judges standing in their way,” Foster said in the statement.
“The volunteers from all over our state that helped circulate petitions are inspiring and they are going to help us win this campaign in November. The people who signed our petition realize that this is an all-hands-on-deck moment and will do what it takes to protect reproductive freedom in Michigan.”
Read more on MLive:
Democratic leader decries Republicans for ‘radical maneuver’ to defend Michigan abortion ban
State legislature seeks to appeal court decision keeping abortion legal in Michigan
Could Michigan’s abortion ban affect miscarriage management, IVF and emergency contraception?
Abortion, voting petitions to submit signatures Monday; MI Right to Vote delaying