LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Joseph Bellino on Wednesday expressed disappointment with a recent state court decision to block some of Michigan’s abortion safeguards for women.
“I was profoundly disappointed that the Michigan Court of Claims removed critical health and safety protections for women seeking an abortion,” said Bellino, R-Monroe. “This decision eliminates the 24-hour waiting period, allows non-physicians to perform abortions, and jeopardizes the health of women across the state by undermining their ability to make informed decisions about whether to have, or not to have, an abortion.
“Women should be entitled to know all risks associated with medical procedures — including abortion.”
Judge Sima Patel, an appointee of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, on Tuesday found Michigan’s abortion safeguards burdened and infringed on a recently approved constitutional amendment.
“When voters were considering Proposal 3 in 2022, they were told the amendment wouldn’t affect commonsense safety protections for women,” Bellino said. “The state should ensure women have access to safe and sanitary clinic conditions, and any facility performing surgical abortions should adhere to the same rigorous standards as other outpatient surgery centers. Democrats in the Legislature last year struck the clinic licensing law, and now a judge has blocked a law ensuring only doctors perform these surgeries.
“The court’s decision and the Democrats’ actions will ultimately put more women in danger by removing these commonsense health safety protections.”
Bellino also said that nearly two-thirds of Michigan voters support the 24-hour waiting period and informed consent laws, according to a Marketing Resource Group poll of registered voters in the state in April 2024.
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