Michigan judge blocks enforcement of pre-Roe abortion ban

A Michigan judge ruled Friday that county prosecutors could not enforce the state's 1931 abortion ban, Politico and the Detroit Free Press report.

"The harm to the body of women and people capable of pregnancy in not issuing the injunction could not be more real, clear, present and dangerous to the court," said Oakland County Judge Jacob Cunningham, describing the 1931 law as "chilling and dangerous." Cunningham also "seemed to ridicule arguments from conservative prosecutors seeking to enforce" the ban after the downfall of Roe v. Wade (1973), according to the Free Press.

An attorney for the Republican county prosecutors said they plan to appeal.

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Michigan's Bureau of Elections is currently reviewing a petition for a ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. If approved, the measure would appear on the ballot in November. Pro-life groups have challenged the petition on the grounds that it contains 60 typographical errors that create "strings of gibberish," including "DECISIONSABOUTALLMATTERSRELATINGTOPREGNANCY."