On Monday the Supreme Court Dobbs The ruling was overturned. Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion.
As a father of four, I am tired of my children growing up with fewer rights than their parents and grandparents. That shouldn’t be the case.
Many of us Dobbs The news broke. First, the draft decision was leaked. It was hard to believe. Then, a few weeks later, the opinion was published. And it was terrifying reality. It represented a success for those who have been trying for years to take away a woman’s right to choose.
I am grateful to be a State Senator in 2022 and to be in a position to take action.
Immediately after the ruling, we needed to take stock. What was our strategy? In our state, that meant taking action. And Michigan voters agreed. Just a few months after the ruling, Michiganders voted overwhelmingly to enshrine the right to abortion in our state constitution, despite anti-abortion extremists in the state legislature opposing the measure and pushing for a no-exceptions abortion ban.
As a state senator and then as legislative affairs director for Governor Gretchen Whitmer, I worked with good people of all ideologies to repeal Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban. And through that work, I was reminded of a simple and powerful truth: Abortion rights should not be a partisan issue. It’s about freedom. It’s about ensuring that doctors and nurses, not politicians and judges, are the ones helping women make their medical decisions.
Looking across the country, it is even clearer that restoring abortion rights transcends party politics. DobbsOhio voters approved a constitutional amendment protecting the right to an abortion. Kansas voters kept abortion legal. And many other states have done the same — ruby ​​red, purple and deep blue states.
Regardless of political party, wherever you live, how much money you have, people don’t like their rights being taken away. Parents don’t like their children’s rights being taken away.
This is more than enough common ground to move forward in a country where abortion rights must be codified into law. And they should be.
Curtis Hertel is a former state senator and director of legislative affairs for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
