Vandalism, a 1931 abortion ban, and a potential ballot measure codifying a “right to abortion” are colliding in Michigan, heating up a pro-life v. pro-abortion battle in a state splintered by a Democrat governor and a Republican majority state House and Senate.
Executive Director of Jackson Right to Life in Jackson, Michigan, Kathy Potts spoke to Breitbart News Sunday following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and return the issue of abortion laws to state legislatures. But just two days before the landmark ruling, vandals — who claim to be Jane’s Revenge — ravaged the Right to Life headquarters. The organization happens to share an office with Rep. Tim Wahlberg (R-MI). The attack is one in a string of vandalisms and fire-bombings perpetrated by pro-abortion radicals.
“We just have a viewpoint that differs from theirs, and the way they handle that is by these acts of violence. I call it a hate crime,” Potts said.
“We’re not going to submit to these radical acts of hate by these people. … We do this because we love — we love life. We love unborn children. We love their mothers,” she continued. “And so this is just something we do no matter what is put in front of us. … I mean, things are probably going to be a little difficult, for a lack of better words, and we will remain steadfast. We will not ever stop speaking for these unborn babies and their moms.”
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Besides spray paint and broken glass, a war against the unborn has launched in the purple state, with Republicans and Democrats at odds over how to handle the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, Potts detailed.
Prosecutors, the state attorney general, and Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are arguing over how to handle the state’s 1931 abortion ban, which was dormant because of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe decision. The law criminalizes all abortions, including in cases of rape and incest.
The Michigan Court of Claims paused the ban by issuing a temporary injunction, which Whitmer requested. Planned Parenthood of Michigan is also asking the court to rule on the constitutionality of the law. Ultimately, abortion is still legal in the state until the Michigan Supreme Court rules, NPR reported. Meanwhile, Democrat Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she will not prosecute abortion cases in the state. In defiance of Nessel’s orders, Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker “said he will charge doctors who perform abortions under a 1931 law,” News Channel 3 reported Monday.
“We’ve got an attorney general who refuses to do her job. She has said she will not … prosecute any of these pro-life laws, once they’re on the books again,” Potts said. “And this judge — she’s admitted to donating money to Planned Parenthood every year. She even represented Planned Parenthood in a case. … And so, it’s really mind-boggling the level of corruption that we’re seeing. I’m hopeful that the ban, the injunction will be lifted and that we can move forward.”
Besides tackling the nearly 100-year-old law, pro-abortion activists are hoping to codify “the right to an abortion” in the state’s constitution by adding the issue to the November 2022 midterm ballot. ACLU Michigan, Michigan Voices, and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan have dubbed the initiative, “Reproductive Freedom For All.”
“If they get enough signatures — I believe they have to get 425,000 ballot signatures by July 11 — if that makes it to the ballot, that’s going to be quite a fight,” Potts said. “I would hope that the people would see through this because what this petition would do is it would undo every pro-life law in Michigan.”
“We have a lot of great laws from partial-birth abortion [bans] to informed consent. There’s just a whole litany of pro-life laws we have that would be instantly gone,” she continued. “Minors could get abortions without their parents knowing or their guardians knowing. So, we’ve got a lot going on.”
As far as Potts’ corner of the pro-life movement, Jackson Right to Life is continuing to engage in education and advocacy as well as prayer and counseling outside of abortion clinics.
“The folks at Planned Parenthood and the abortion facilities, they all use these words that make it sound like, ‘oh, it’s just a medical procedure, a clump of cells.’ It’s so easy for women to be deceived. And these people, these abortion clinics just prey on them — and of course, line their coffers. They make a lot of money,” she said.
“What we do is we talk to [women] about why they feel they need this abortion. Once you start breaking down the barriers of what the problem is, the problem isn’t the baby. The problem is an unhealthy relationship for example, or the problem is they don’t have a home, or the problem is they have a significant other that beats them — there’s all kinds of terrible circumstances,” she said. “So we try to see what it is that’s going on in their life that we can help them with, and we’ll walk with them. We connect them with pregnancy resource centers.”
Despite the tense battle that lies ahead to save the lives of unborn babies in Michigan, Potts said she does not hold ill-will for the opposing side.
“My belief is that many of them have been involved in abortion — likely had an abortion. And, you know, that just eats at your core. People don’t realize what abortion does to women. For a lifetime, whether they realize it or not, it just eats away at them and they have so much regret and sorrow, and it’s just heartbreaking to me,” she said. We’re a people of prayer, a people of peace and love, and help. And the other side is a group that tears down — they’re hateful, they’re angry, and we are praying for them.”
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