Last year, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder vetoed a proposal that would have required Michigan women to purchase a separate rider on their health insurance to cover abortion. At the time, he told his fellow Republicans that, "I don’t believe it is appropriate to tell a woman who becomes pregnant due to a rape that she needed to select elective insurance coverage."
I don't often agree with Governor Snyder, but in this case, he was absolutely right!
Unfortunately, those same Republican legislators may have now found a loophole around his veto and are working with an extremist special interest group to enact this proposal into law without your vote and without the ability for the Governor to veto it again this time.
Their plan would once again forbid private insurance companies from providing abortion coverage to women, even in cases of rape and incest, unless she has already purchased a separate insurance rider to cover it. This would force women to decide whether they want to buy 'rape insurance' and even compel parents to make the unfathomable decision about whether to buy it for their daughters.
Put simply, this idea is offensive and Michigan women need your help to stop it!
Special interest groups paid to get 300,000 people, only 4% of Michigan's population, to sign a petition to bring this issue back before the Michigan legislature. The Republican majority now has a choice to either directly turn this terrible initiative into law, or they can instead opt to let the voters decide its fate on next November's ballot.
I don't know about you, but last time I checked, 4% of the population isn't supposed to be able to make fundamental changes in our laws that impact 100% of Michigan's women! Instead, the people of Michigan deserve to have their voices heard and their votes counted on this issue.
We can show these special-interests that the people of Michigan are opposed to their offensive proposal. You can sign the petition at www.LetMIDecide.com to add your name to those asking the Michigan Legislature to NOT pass this proposal into law and to instead let the voters decide next November.
I hope you'll not only sign this yourself, but share it with others as well so we can make our voices heard as loudly as possible.
Please visit www.LetMIDecide.com to help out today.
Thank you!
Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Senate Democratic Leader