A new legislative push led by Senator Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing) is aimed at the controversial law.
While lawmakers in Michigan may be on a considerable break for the summer, the Democrats in the state are currently working on a considerable effort in the form of a campaign within the legislature with the purpose of repealing the rape insurance legislation that was introduced by citizens in the state requiring them to purchase a separate coverage to pay for abortions.
The law was originally enacted back in December, but bills are now being sponsored to repeal it.
The bills to repeal the rape insurance law is a response to the 300,000 signatures that were collected by the Right To Life of Michigan that indicated that the people wanted the proposal introduced into the legislature. Those bills are being sponsored by Senator Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing) and Representative Sarah Roberts (D-St. Clair Shores). The signatures were also collected to help to be able to avoid having the bills vetoed by Governor Rick Snyder, as this is what he did in 2012 with a similar proposal.
The floor debate on the law made insurance news when she shared her own personal experience of having been raped when she was a college student. She has described the state’s requirement for women to have to purchase a separate abortion insurance to cover the procedure in the instance of rape as being “misogynistic”.
At a recent press conference, Whitmer explained that she feels that “It’s a law that disregards the variety of circumstances that we face in our lives.” She added that she feels that the current law “hurts all women”. She added that this isn’t just a statement that applies to the women who have already been the victim of rape or incest or who have gone through the “gut-wrenching” impact of having suffered a miscarriage.
She stated that this rape insurance impacts every man or woman “who has to make the decision about whether or not to pre-purchase abortion rider insurance for the women who are covered by their insurance, including their daughters.”