(CBS DETROIT) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive directing state departments and agencies not to cooperate with or assist authorities in an abortion investigation and to identify opportunities to increase the protection of reproductive rights.
The state has a 1931 law that prohibits abortion; however, a judge’s ruling temporarily halted the law, blocking the state’s abortion ban.
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“Now is the time to use every tool in our toolbox to protect all aspects of reproductive health care. No matter what happens in DC, I will fight like hell so all Michiganders can make decisions about their own bodies,” Whitmer said in a statement. “However, we personally feel about abortionHealth, not politics, should drive important medical decisions. A woman should be able to make her own medical decisions with the advice of a health professional she trusts. Politicians shouldn’t make that decision for her.”
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In addition, departments and agencies must:
- Identify and evaluate potential opportunities to increase protections for reproductive health care, consistent with applicable law
- Detail how they can increase the options available to protect mental, physical and reproductive health
- Safeguard the privacy of people seeking care
- Ensuring the safety of reproductive health care providers
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State departments and agencies that communicate directly with the public about reproductive issues should also provide accessible information on the current cost and availability of reproductive care, as well as increase public awareness of the availability and safety of contraception.
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