(WXYZ) — Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is asking the state Supreme Court to make abortion access in Michigan a constitutional right.
The 10 Republican candidates hoping to take her on in the November elections are all anti-abortion.
One of those republicans hoping to unseat Whitmer is Michael Brown. He’s anti-abortion with very limited exceptions.
“And those are very rare," he says. "The life of the mother, rape, or incest.”
But this pro-life rhetoric could bring Michiganders who value abortion rights to the polls in even greater numbers.
"If the supreme court does what it looks like they are poised to do, overnight we will go from being a pro-choice state where women have full access to health care, to a state with one of the most extreme laws in the country," Whitmer said.
The governor filed a lawsuit earlier this year, seeking to amend the state’s constitution to protect abortion rights by axing a 1931 law in our state effectively outlawing abortion.
If Roe vs. Wade were to be overturned, that law, which is still on the books, could take effect.
She wants the state’s high court to rule the 1931 law unconstitutional. And now, she’s asking the public to stand behind her by supporting a petition drive to get this issue on the November ballot.
It’s still unclear who from the GOP will be facing Whitmer in November, but pro-lifers in Michigan want that 1931 law to remain intact.
Democrats in Michigan have tried more than once over the years to repeal the law. That has continuously been unsuccessful.
Michigan is one of 23 states where abortion bans would be triggered with the collapse of Roe vs. Wade.
Brown says he will respect the legislature.
"It's all be up to the people's representatives to debate the sanctity of life for unborn children," Brown said.
According to an AP poll taken during the 2020 presidential election, 70% of Michigan voters believed Roe vs. Wade should remain, while 27% wanted it gone.
Those numbers are similar to voters nationwide.
The question now—which side of the debate will the leaked draft create more momentum for when it comes to voter turnout.
A petition drive supporting abortion rights needs 425,000 signatures from voters by July 11 to land on the ballot.
