Gov. Whitmer signs legislation to repeal Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban

Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban is officially repealed. That’s after Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed bills Wednesday to take the law off the books.

The ban was already unconstitutional due to an amendment Michigan voters approved last year.

But Democratic Representative Laurie Pohutsky—who sponsored the repeal—said that wasn’t the end of the fight.

"Rather than admit that the passage of Prop Three stood as a clear mandate from Michiganders that wanted this draconian law repealed, opponents began to assert that this law’s purpose was actually to protect pregnant people and that repealing it would actually leave no protections in place," she said.

Whitmer said it’s important to strip what she calls “zombie laws” off the books to protect reproductive rights.

Groups opposing abortion rights, like Right to Life of Michigan, are calling the repeal a “dark day for women in our state.”

The repeal marks the last of six early priorities Democratic legislative leadership outlined earlier this year to receive the governor’s signature.

This is a developing story.

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