house resolution no.336
Rep. Thanedar offered the following resolution:
Whereas, Approximately 64,000,000 women and girls of reproductive age live in the United States. Lack of access to safe, affordable, timely, and respectful abortion care poses risks to their physical and mental well-being across their lifetime; and
Whereas, In Roe v. Wade, the United States Supreme Court affirmed the right to choose to bear a child and maintain bodily autonomy. This ability to choose allows women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the United States. The Court further affirmed these rights in Planned Parenthood v. Casey; and
Whereas, In Dobbs v. Jackson, the Supreme Court held that the United States Constitution does not confer a right to an abortion overruling Roe and Casey. Instead, the ruling returned the authority to regulate abortion to states. With this ruling, the Supreme Court says that, from the very moment of fertilization, a woman has no rights to speak of. This decision blatantly disregards women's rights to bodily autonomy and allows states to force women to carry pregnancies to term, despite the risks and costs; and
Whereas, Immediately following the Dobbs decision, states began to rip away the reproductive rights that women have held for nearly half a century. Some states have passed laws without any exceptions for victims of sexual assault, without regard for the mother s life, and without any plan on helping mothers take care of the babies that are the result of forced pregnancy. Some states have even begun to consider criminal penalties for what should be considered a private medical decision; and
Whereas, Not only has the Supreme Court undermined the rights of women across the country, it has blatantly ignored court precedent, and has threatened a number of other constitutional rights. Recent polls found that public confidence in the Supreme Court is at an all-time low of 25 percent. As the Court continues to be nothing more than an extension of political ideals, our most vulnerable are more at risk of losing their rights than ever; and
Whereas, Undocumented women, women living in poverty, and women who are members of marginalized groups will face the most risks as a result of the Supreme Court's actions. We commit to advancing state law to protect the reproductive rights of women across the state. We commit to communities that will be disproportionately impacted by the destructive holding of Dobbs; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we condemn the Supreme Court of the United States decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey; and be it further
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we commit to advancing reproductive justice; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the United States Supreme Court, the Governor, the Attorney General, and members of the Michigan congressional delegation.