Controversial bills to ban a certain type of abortion procedure are scheduled for a state House committee hearing next week.
The bills (HB 4320and 4321) would ban the “dilation and evacuation” or D-and-E procedure. The legislation has been moving steadily through the state House. That’s despite a likely veto by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Representative Pamela Hornberger (R-Chesterfield Township) is a bill sponsor. She said during a hearing that the state should ban the “dilation and evacuation” or D-and-E procedure because she says it’s barbaric.
“While some may argue that this legislation restricts a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion, I would like to stress that it does not. This legislation addresses a certain and specific form of abortion,” she says.
Senator Tom Barrett (R-Potterville) sponsored similar legislation in the state Senate. He says he’ll keep fighting for this ban despite Governor Whitmer saying she’ll veto anti-abortion bills.
“I was elected under certain priorities that I put out there. I campaigned on the fact that I’m a pro-life legislator and will continue to advocate in that way,” he says.
Opponents say the procedure can be necessary and lawmakers should not get involved in a woman’s decisions with her doctors.
There are also bills in the Legislature to prohibit the state from entering into contracts with providers that offer abortion services and to change the timeline for when a woman can get an abortion.
Copyright 2019 Michigan Radio