(John McCann, Headline USA) A pro-abortion Michigan judge has preserved abortion practices in the state through an injunction, while local prosecutors have vowed to ignore what critics call a flawed and biased injunction and said they will prosecute abortionists in accordance with state law.
Michigan’s legislation on abortion has a twisty past. Prior to the Roe v. Wade ruling, the Wolverine state had passed a law back in 1931 effectively banning the practice. After the Roe ruling in 1973, this law went dormant. Now that Roe is gone, many prosecuting attorneys in the state have argued that the old law is back in place.
These attorneys face opposition from Michigan state Judge Elizabeth Gleicher and Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. After the Dobbs ruling, Judge Gleicher granted a preliminary injunction to keep the 1931 from becoming active. The suit was filed by Planned Parenthood of Michigan, according to Townhall.
Gleicher’s injunction stated that the 1931 law “likely violates the Michigan constitution.”
It’s no surprise she reached that conclusion, critics argued. Gleicher has a lengthy track-record regarding abortion advocacy, and has been a regular donor to Planned Parenthood.
Somehow, however, despite this clear bias Gleicher was allowed to preside over the injunction suit. Whitmer has also filed suit in order to keep abortion legal in the state.
Despite these headwinds, local attorneys are determined to curtail the judge’s ruling and follow the 1931 law.
“I do not believe it proper for me to simply ignore a law, any law, that was passed by the Michigan Legislature and signed by the Governor,” Grand Rapids public prosecutor Christopher Becker said in a statement.
“I have always held it would be improper for me to pick and choose the laws I wish to enforce that have been validly passed and signed. I will not start now.”
Becker also explained the parameters of the law as to clarify its meaning, which only allows for charges to be filed against a doctor performing an abortion, not the woman seeking or receiving one.
Attorney David Kallman, based out of Lansing, has also promised to adhere to the old law. He argued that the injunction only applied at the state level, not the county level. In his words, “If there’s any prosecutor in this state right now today, and the police came to them with an investigation showing a doctor performed an abortion in violation of the statute, a prosecutor could prosecute right now — today — if they wanted to.”
Since the injunction is temporary, Whitmer and her Democrat allies cannot rely on it indefinitely. With a GOP legislature already firmly in place, Democrats will see Whitmer’s re-election as paramount to their efforts to keep abortion legal in the state of Michigan.
