Today, October 11, 2011, Governor Rick Snyder signed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban into law. The law is a long awaited, celebrated achievement by dedicated prolife people in Michigan.

Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing made the following statement:

 

"Partial Birth Abortion shall be no more in the great state of Michigan.

"More than 15 years ago the reality of this horrific abortion procedure first came into the public light. Since that time, prolife citizens have partnered with elected officials to ban partial birth abortions in Michigan. We are celebrating this achievement, not for ourselves, but for our state as a whole. The final step in this journey, Gov. Snyder's signature, restores a sense of sanity and restores more respect for human life. We express our profound gratitude to the legislature and the governor for their role in making this a reality.

"Partial birth abortion is a heinous act of killing a child who is more born than unborn and it breaches every boundary of human dignity and justice. But even with this great achievement behind us, our steadfast prolife work remains. We will continue with our tireless efforts to be a voice for the most vulnerable human lives in our state.

"Michigan joins dozens of other states in declaring that there is no right, constitutional or otherwise, to kill a child inches from complete birth. This Michigan law will be enforceable by state officials, including the attorney general and local prosecutors. The law is slated to take effect on January 1, 2012."

Background:
The first Michigan law to ban partial birth abortion was enacted in 1996, signed by Governor John Engler, but eventually overturned by the federal courts. Two other versions were later enacted, one in 2004 via a statewide petition drive, after Governor Jennifer Granholm vetoed the same language that had been passed by the legislature in 2003. It was January 15, 2004, when Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing kicked off "The People's Override," a citizen initiative to bypass the Governor's veto and enact the Legal Birth Definition Act to ban partial birth abortions in Michigan. RLM volunteers across the state collected 460,034 signatures in just three months. The Partial Birth Abortion Ban signed today by Governor Rick Snyder is parallel to a federal law signed by President George W. Bush and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007.