One of the things that’s frustrating as a lawmaker is that sometimes you can try to have a thoughtful discussion about an issue, and someone will take six or seven words totally out of context to intentionally distort your views and voting record.

There’s been a lot of false attacks about my position on abortion, so I want to clear that up.

My dad was an OB/GYN; he personally delivered more than 6,000 babies. He was also the first board-certified OB/GYN in St. Clair County, which means he was the one who got the call from other doctors when something went wrong and they needed his help. My mom worked as a Registered Nurse in the newborn nursery. I have great respect for women, mothers, and babies, and I understand the challenges that can arise during pregnancy and labor.

The suggestion that I’d ever even consider criminalizing abortion to save a woman’s life is ludicrous. It’s a flat-out lie.

Never in our state’s history has a woman been prosecuted for seeking an abortion. Not once. So let’s put the dishonest and misleading fearmongering aside, and treat each other like adults who are capable of discussing complex issues with nuance.

Abortion rights are protected by Michigan’s constitution. That’s what voters decided in 2022, and there’s nothing that lawmakers can do to change that. As your representative, I took an oath to uphold the constitution, and I will.

I do think we should limit late-term abortion, which Michigan’s constitution says lawmakers may regulate. That was also included as part of the Proposal 3 ballot initiative that guaranteed abortion rights in Michigan, which voters approved.

Article 1 Section 28 of the Michigan constitution specifically states that “the state may regulate the provision of abortion care after fetal viability.” This clause reflects the same consideration for the rights of the unborn issued in the Roe v. Wade decision back in 1973, in which the court referred to the “rising potentiality of life” when it set fetal viability as the point at which rights also apply to the fetus.

Prop 3 was sold to voters as a return to the Roe standard. But that’s not what we currently have. There are currently zero restrictions in place, and elective abortion is legal in Michigan for any reason at any time up until birth. That goes far beyond the Roe standard.

In September 2023, I introduced legislation that applies the language of Article 1 Section 28 by protecting life after viability, with the viability threshold set by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Under my bill, there would still be constitutionally required exemptions to protect the life, physical health and mental health of the mother, as determined by a board-certified OB/GYN, a board-certified maternal fetal medicine specialist, or a board-certified psychiatrist.

One other point of clarification: I fully support in-vitro fertilization (IVF), which is increasingly needed because many hopeful parents are realizing that waiting to start a family can be fraught with complications. It reminds me of a piece of advice based on something my father used to say: Having babies is for the young. You can handle the lack of sleep better.

In closing, thank you for giving me an opportunity to let you know what’s going on in Lansing. As your representative, it’s important that I keep you informed, and I like being able to directly share where I stand.