After several days of watching the verbal platitudes of the political convention in Tampa, I thought maybe the average voter would like to see what actual bills are introduced in Lansing from real, currently elected, State of Michigan Republican lawmakers.

Mind you, these bills mentioned are about “women’s issues,” but if you are a man and actually have a wife or daughter, a sister, a mother, a cousin or a friend that you are quite fond of, you might have some serious concern about the “war on women.”

Keep in mind that the Michigan Republicans have a clear majority in both the Michigan State House, the Michigan State Senate, and have the governorship, the Attorney General’s office and the Secretary of State’s office.

They today have an even larger majority in the State House than when Gov. Engler was in office in the 1990s.

Senate Bill 013, introduced in the State Senate (Jan. 18, 2011), the House sent it to the Committee on Families, Children and Seniors (Nov. 3, 2011); a joint resolution was filed by the House on (Nov. 4, 2011).  “The Personhood Law” would amend the state’s legal code to include “fetus” as part of the definition of “individual” in every part of the law.

An embryo becomes a fetus at 11 weeks; therefore, this would ban abortions after 10 weeks of pregnancy. If a woman has an abortion after 10 weeks of being pregnant, she could be prosecuted for murder. This law would open up miscarriages to criminal investigations. It also would ban hormonal birth control and emergency contraception.

SB161 Senate Bills 0160-161/House Bill 4109, signed into law (assigned PA 0168’11) With immediate effect (Oct. 13, 2011) Partial Birth Abortions: This law bans partial birth abortions, (FYI, the real medical term is “Late Term,” not “Partial Birth Abortions”), per state law, and does not take into account the mother’s health, and it prevents doctors from using their best medical judgment.

Senate Bill 0135: “The Parental Rights Restoration Act,” passed by the State Senate (March 29, 2011), the House referred it the Committee on House Policy, Disposal of Fetal Remains Bill, which would tighten regulations of how the remains of an aborted or miscarried fetus are handled. The disposal of the fetal remains would be considered a body at 10 weeks of gestation. The disposal of the fetal remains would be required to be disposed of as a human corpse rather than medical waste. One intent of this bill is to change the way women view early pregnancy. A woman would be forced to make a decision to bury or cremate the remains.

The bill would also create regulatory and fiscal burdens on clinics and hospitals that provide abortions.

Senate Bill 0313, and Senate Bill 150/House Bill 4433, referred to the Committee on Health Policy (April 12, 2011, Feb. 16, 2011 and March 16, 2011). The Ultra Sound Bills: These bills are all aimed at forcing women to have an ultrasound at least two hours before an abortion is performed with the most technologically advanced equipment available. These bills further state that the monitor must be aimed at the patient, so the only way a patient can waive this option is to turn her head and close her eyes. In early pregnancy, the most technologically advanced ultrasound would be an extremely invasive trans-vaginal ultra sound.

This could be considered an equivalency to state sanctioned rape. This further burdens the doctors to have to perform unnecessary medical procedures.

Senate Bill 0523/House Bill 4715, referred to Committee on Health policy (June 23, 2011)/(June 8, 2011) Regulating Abortions after 19 weeks: These bills would make it mandatory that all abortions performed past 19 weeks take place in a hospital where a neo-natal unit is available to potentially save the life of the infant that may have been delivered alive after an attempted abortion. This limits access to abortion and is contrary to Roe V. Wade. It also would greatly limit late term abortions, which are mostly done for medical necessity of the mother.

Senate bill 0420/House Bill 4688 referred to the Committee on Health Policy (June 8, 2011)/(May 31, 2011). Prescription of Medical Abortions: These bills are aimed at prohibiting the prescription of drugs to chemically induce an abortion without a prior physical examination. This would also restrict emergency contraception, which had been available to women 17 and older without a prescription.

Jack Arbanas
Democratic candidate for the 78th House District