Tell Your State Rep. You Want to Protect Women’s Right to Choose — Support the New Reproductive Health Care Act

By MUUSJN on Tuesday, October 1st, 2019

Call Your State Representative

Click HERE to Find Your State Representative
Tell him/her to support HB 5179 – The Michigan Reproductive Health Care Act

On October 29th, Rep. Kristy Pagen unveiled the Reproductive Health Act (HB 5179) in the presence of Governor Gretchen Whitmer and other women’s right advocates. The bill, which has 48 other co-sponsors, was formally introduced on October 31st and was sent to the House Government Operations Committee. This week, MUUSJN’s Interfaith Reproductive Justice Coalition voted unanimously to support HB 5179.

It protects all individual decision making in terms of reproductive health such as:

  1. Deciding to use or refuse contraception (birth control) or sterilization;
  2. Deciding what kind of birth control to use, if any; and
  3. If pregnant, deciding to give birth or have an abortion.

ABORTION IS NOT CONTROVERSIAL AMONG VOTERS OR PEOPLE OF FAITH!

The public may not realize that the majority (73%) of American voters do not want Roe v. Wade overturned. Two thirds (67%) think abortion should be legal in “all” or “most” cases. In Michigan, 59% strongly (43%) or somewhat (16%) want to ensure that abortion remains legal in our state if Roe v. Wade were overturned. It’s also a misunderstanding that the majority of religious people oppose abortion. According a study from the Pew Research Center that more than 50% of people from the following religious groups say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases: Unitarian Universalist; Jewish; Buddhist; Episcopal; United Church of Christ; Hindu; Presbyterian; Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; African Methodist Episcopal Church; National Baptist Convention; Anglican Church; Muslim; and Orthodox Christian. Among Catholics, slightly more (48%) felt abortions should be legal vs. 47% illegal.

The Reproductive Health Care Act would protect the rights prized by Michigan voters:

  1. Repeals Michigan’s unconstitutional 1931 law that bans virtually all abortions;
  2. Repeals laws that require people seeking an abortion to receive biased, medically inaccurate information;
  3. Lifts a state mandated 24 waiting period for patients;
  4. Lifts a ban on private insurance coverage for abortion care; and
  5. Removes unnecessary barriers to accessing abortion via telemedicine.

For more details on provisions of the Reproductive Health Care (RHC) Act, click HERE.

Call YOUR State Representative and Members of the House Government Operations Committee:

  • Rep. Jason Sheppard (Committee Chair – R 56th District): 517-373-2617
  • Rep. Triston Cole (Majority Vice Chair 105th District): 517-373-0829
  • Rep. Jim Lilly (R- 89th District) 517-373-0838
  • Rep. Christine Greig (D-Minority Vice Chair 37th District): 517-373-1793
  • Rep. Yousef Rabhi (D-53rd District) 517-373-2577

TELL THEM:

  1. The majority of Michigan voters believe abortion should be legal and safe;
  2. HB 5179 restores the reproductive rights of Michigan women;
  3. RHC bills have been adopted in Rhode Island, Vermont, Illinois, New York & Oregon;
  4. Hold a hearing on HB 5179, the Reproductive Health Act.

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