A new anti-abortion-rights bill introduced in the Michigan House Thursday calls for criminalization of coercion to abort. In its current draft, House Bill
“„Supporters of this legislation laud this effort as a step to protect women who are victims of domestic violence. In reality, this bill is part of a larger agenda to deny women access to the full range of reproductive health services that they really need. Let’s be clear: No one should be coerced into having an abortion or having a baby. However, if the Legislature really cared about protecting pregnant women, lawmakers would put more effort and money into ensuring that women have the resources they need to avoid unintended pregnancies and that those who are victims of abuse can get meaningful help.
“„As far as HB 4799 is concerned, threatening to divorce your wife unless she gets an abortion has a $5,000 price tag. Threatening to divorce her if she gets an abortion, however, is perfectly acceptable. In fact, the state itself is perfectly willing to participate in coercion against abortion; one lawmaker behind this bill is ironically also trying to force Michigan womento view the most clear and accurate ultrasound images possible before obtaining an abortion.
“„And to take the hypocrisy even further, Michigan happens to be a state with strict parental notification laws for minors seeking abortion. So while it could soon become illegal for parents to attempt to pressure their daughters into having abortions, it is well within parents’ legal rights to force their daughters to continue an unwanted pregnancy.