Michigan revokes 1931 law banning abortion in the state

Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, United States, has signed a repeal of the state’s 1931 abortion ban.

The near-century-old abortion ban made it a four-year felony to assist in an abortion. The ban also prohibited the procedure even in cases of rape and incest, except to preserve the woman’s life.

Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 ruling that affirmed the constitutional right to abortion in the US, had made the law void until the landmark decision was overturned in June 2022 by the country’s supreme court.

In November 2022, the proposal to lift the ban received a record-breaking number of votes from residents in the state.

Signing the revocation of the law on Wednesday, Gretchen said the decision was “long overdue”.

She described the 1931 ban as a “zombie” that predates the Roe v. Wade ruling and was back to haunt women.

“Today we’re going to take action to make sure that our statutes, our laws reflect our values and our constitution. I’m excited today to be signing the bill that will repeal our extreme 1931 law that bans abortions and criminalises nurses and doctors for just doing their jobs,” Gretchen said.

“This is a long overdue step and it proves that when we keep fighting to protect everyone’s ability to make their own decisions over to make over their bodies, we can win.

“To all the women and girls and allies in states that don’t value you or your rights, maybe you should come to Michigan.”

Following the 2022 US supreme court verdict, most abortions are now banned in 13 states while the fight over abortion access is still taking place in courtrooms in other states.