Letter to the editor: Proposal 3, It’s worse than you think
September 29, 2022
I appreciate the service The Mirror provides to the Manchester community. I read the Sept 19th edition headlined “Abortion ballot measure: What Proposal 3 would do in Michigan” and reviewed the published text of the “Reproductive Freedom For All Initiative” to permanently amend the Michigan Constitution.
Prop3 language emphasizes ‘freedom’ but is actually about power to enable what many consider extreme, including abortion at point of birth. The proposal is misleading. Please read it carefully. A pro-choice friend decided to change her vote after reading.
Paragraph (1): “Every individual has a fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which entails the right to make and effectuate decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy…” “An individual’s right to reproductive freedom shall not be denied, burdened, nor infringed upon…”
This ensures that abortion will be enforced up to the day of birth. The modifying clause “the state may regulate the provision of abortion care after fetal viability, provided that in no circumstance shall the state prohibit an abortion…” has no possibility of limiting a late term abortion because, “…that, in the professional judgment of an attending health care professional, is medically indicated to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual.” The terms ‘health care professional’ and ‘medically indicated’ are not defined, need not be a doctor or nurse. An abortion clinic staffer can be considered a health care professional and could legally indicate any abortion, without parental notification.
Late term abortion, near to the time of birth, is called ‘partial birth abortion’. It’s so grisly I’ll skip the details. If you’re curious, you can look it up. A baby can never survive this procedure. Based on reports, the CDC estimated there were 6,299 late term abortions in 2019. By no means are all of them reported. After 50yrs of performing this procedure, the reports alone could total over 300,000 children fully capable of growing to adulthood. With pregnancy centers outnumbering abortion facilities 14 to1 there are many alternatives for support and adoption.
Paragraph (4) is critical. It defines ‘compelling state interest’ and ‘infringements of the individual’s autonomous decision-making’. This equates social good with individual preference.
On November 8th, we will vote to amend the Constitution—the law that overrules all state laws & executive orders and nullifies all existing laws related to abortion. Before you decide how to vote, do a search with these keywords: how to respond to myths and false claims about proposal 3.
Bill Kwolek
Manchester
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