Legislature To Vote On Abortion Bill
LANSING (WWJ/AP) - An emotional issue up for debate at the state capital Wednesday. The Republican-led Michigan Legislature is scheduled to take action on bills that would create a state ban on a procedure that opponents call "partial-birth abortion."
"Conservative Republicans have been waiting patiently to move on their social agenda, and now they are," said WWJ Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick.
A similar federal ban was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007. Critics of the Michigan plan say that makes the state proposal redundant.
But Ed Rivet, lobbyist for Right to Life, said it is critical for the state to have their own law on the issue.
"There are limited resources that federal district prosecutors have and, you know, they're busy with cases like terrorism and drug dealers and things like that, international-type cases. So, they just don't have the resources to take a single case like this. So, this will allow the Attorney General or even a local prosecutor to enforce the law," Rivet said.
Michigan lawmakers have tried to enact a state-level ban on the procedure several times in recent years without success because of vetoes from then-Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, as well as court rulings.
The bill is expected to pass in the Senate and the House, with Gov. Rick Snyder likely to sign.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
