The 2024 presidential election is almost over and abortion rights are front and center on everyone’s minds. The results of the November 5th election will set the tone of reproductive rights in the United States for the next four years, both nationally and here in Michigan.
But the 2024 election is not just about the presidency. We already know where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris stand on abortion rights. Donald Trump appointed the three Supreme Court justices needed to overturn Roe V Wade and continues to take credit for the destruction of reproductive rights nationwide. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris has traveled the country speaking with both patients and providers and has pledged to restore abortion rights in the United States.
The Senate
In order to restore the rights we had under Roe V Wade, we must also ensure that pro-choice senators win the 2024 election. Here in Michigan, the race is between Elissa Slotkin and Mike Rogers. While Elissa Slotkin has pledged to champion the rights of women and doctors to make their own medical decisions, Mike Rogers has an anti-abortion record.
While Mike Rogers served as a congressman, he co-sponsored four bills that defined life as beginning at conception. Not only would Mike Rogers’s bills ban abortion, they would eliminate access to IVF treatment and threaten access to various forms of birth control. When Mike Roger’s was asked how he felt about the Reproductive Freedom for All Amendment in Michigan, which enshrined the right to abortion in our state constitution, Mike Rogers said he would have voted against the measure.
Should Congress get the chance to vote on a bill to restore abortion rights, we need Senators who will pass that legislation.
The House of Representatives
Just like the Senate, the House of Representatives would need to pass a bill to restore abortion rights in the United States. In Michigan, we have the chance to send representatives to DC that will stand up for our reproductive freedoms. It is imperative that we look into candidates’ records and vote for those who support a woman’s right to choose. To find out which candidates on your ballot are pro-choice, we recommend these voter guides
https://www.femsfordems.org/endorsements
https://emilyslist.org/state-and-local-candidates
https://www.voteprochoice.us/candidates
Local Representatives
Our local governments are too often overlooked in presidential election years. In Michigan, abortion was protected by the Reproductive Freedom for All Amendment in 2022. But that does not mean we can stop fighting to keep abortion rights safe.
In the state legislature, anti-abortion representatives could pass restrictions on abortion to limit access to care. These restrictions often skirt around our constitutional rights and create medically unnecessary barriers to abortion care.
Our state supreme court also plays a critical role. Their interpretation of the Reproductive Freedom for All Amendment can determine whether anti-abortion restrictions remain on the books or be repealed.
During the 2024 election, it is essential that we send representatives to Lansing who will continue to uphold the will of Michigan voters and protect our reproductive rights. Again, you can check if your local representative is pro-choice here
https://www.femsfordems.org/endorsements
https://emilyslist.org/state-and-local-candidates
https://www.voteprochoice.us/candidates
Our Lives Are On The Line
Up and down the ballot, who we send to office in the 2024 election will determine our rights to essential healthcare. Across the country, women have bled out in their cars after being denied emergency care, lost reproductive organs due to delayed treatments, and in Georgia, two have died. All of this tragedy is preventable – and it is preventable with our votes.
Remember, Michigan has same day voter registration! It is not too late to make your voice heard in the 2024 election. To get registered to vote and stand up for women nationwide click right here!