LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Rick Outman voted no on a Democratic effort to eliminate safeguards for women considering abortion.
“These extreme measures are not what the voters of this state supported with the passage of Proposal 3,” said Outman, R-Six Lakes. “People were led to believe the proposal would simply maintain the status quo. Democrats said it wouldn’t have any effect on commonsense protections — we can add this to the growing list of lies already told by this majority.”
Senate Bills 37, 39 and 93 and House Bills 4006 and 4032 would remove guardrails to protect the health and safety of women and the unborn, such as laws regarding the selling of drugs to cause an abortion. SB 2 would repeal a section of law referencing the use of indecent or obscene language in publishing information on contraceptives and abortion-related drugs.
Outman supported amendments to strengthen penalties for coerced and partial birth abortions, maintain parental consent if a minor is considering the procedure, add protections for babies with Down syndrome, provide funding for pregnancy resources for women in need, and improve Michigan’s adoption services — however, these amendments were voted down by Senate Democrats.
“I supported commonsense, pro-life amendments to reel back these extreme bills and include protections and protocols that many Michiganders support,” Outman said. “The passage of Proposal 3 enshrined the right to an abortion in our state’s constitution, not what we saw passed here in this chamber.
“I’m staunchly disappointed in the actions of this body today and could not support these efforts that further devalue life in this state.”
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