Michigan judge blocks enforcement of pre-Roe abortion ban

Abortion rights protest in Michigan
(Image credit: Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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.

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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."

Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.