Ren Brabenec: In a Post-Roe landscape, Michigan is luckier than most, but only if we vote
When Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito drafted an opinion that ultimately led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, his primary thesis was that overturning Roe would “hand power back to the states” to decide on abortion law.
But did he want the states, or the people in them, to decide? He wasn’t clear on that distinction, but from the events that followed, I think we can infer his intentions.
Alito and his cohorts failed to mention in their Roe v. Wade ruling that nine of the 26 states set to outlaw or severely restrict abortion have populations where abortion rights are supported. According to Pew Research: Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin (a combined population of some 67.6 million people) all have laws on the books that would ban abortion, yet a majority of constituents in those states support a woman’s right to choose.
That doesn’t sound very democratic.
But if backroom prayer sessions between right-wing SCOTUS justices and Christian special interest groups tell us anything, it’s that we shouldn’t be surprised if the Supreme Court doesn’t care about pesky trivialities like “voters” or “democracy.” What SCOTUS’s conservative majority does care about, however, is guiding the U.S. towards a theocratic Christian nation, not one of Constitutional rights and secular democratic institutions.
Compared to other states, Michigan is lucky
It’s difficult to view Michigan’s predicament through an optimistic lens in what is fast becoming a dystopian landscape more fitting a strict theocracy than a constitutional republic. But Michigan is lucky when compared to other states. For example, Republican-controlled legislatures in Indiana and West Virginia have already banned abortion, conveniently neglecting to offer the issue up to the voters to decide. And in Missouri, that state is not just banning abortion, but Missouri's Republican leaders are attempting to install bounty hunter provisions that would allow Missouri residents to sue any individual who aids a Missourian in having an abortion, even if the aid was provided outside Missouri’s borders.
Some states have fared better. Kansas put the issue to the people for a vote, and constituents overwhelmingly voted to keep abortion protections as part of the state’s Constitution.
This November, voters in five states will have the right to decide on abortion, and Michigan is one of them. Despite our state’s Republican leadership’s best efforts to strike down the abortion rights initiative before it even got to the voters, and despite their efforts to push a 1931-era abortion ban, Michiganders will get the opportunity to vote on abortion rights.
When the “small government” grandstanding and the “let the people decide” facades are peeled back, we see that Republican elected officials don’t care about those values, at least, not when those values help elevate women to higher economic prosperity and independence, as Roe did. For Republican leaders, it's an all-out war on women, bodily autonomy, and the separation of church and state.
Vote 'yes' on ballot Proposal 3 on Nov. 8
As a general rule, if an entire political party in your state is doing everything they can to prevent you from voting on an issue, that’s a sign it’s an issue you should probably vote on.
So don’t let them win. Don’t let a small minority of powerful, religious interests use their control of government institutions to decide what you can or can't do with your body. This Nov. 8, vote “yes” on Ballot 3.
P.S. And fellas, this fight isn’t just for women. It’s not a good thing for governments to set precedents for controlling the bodies of their constituents. Today it’s reproductive rights for women. Tomorrow it could be vaccine mandates or mandatory vasectomies. It’s generally best to keep the government out of our bedrooms and bodies.
So you need to vote “yes” on Ballot 3 as well.
— Ren Brabenec is a Brimley-based writer and columnist.
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Ren Brabenec: In a Post-Roe landscape, Michigan is luckier than most, but only if we vote
