LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Dan Lauwers, R-Brockway Township, issued the following statement in response to the Senate passing what he referred to as ‘Back-Alley Abortion Legislation,’ a Democrat-initiated effort that would exempt providers from critical health safeguards and regulations:
“For years the mantra was ‘we need to increase access and protections, or women will be forced to rely on the black market’ for such procedures.
“What ever happened to the calls to make abortions safe, legal and rare? How have we reverted back to the days of no oversight, no safeguards, no screening, and no due diligence — all of which other medical industries must carefully adhere to.
“This Back Alley Abortion Legislation, or BAAL acts as I call them, would remove licensing, reporting and inspection requirements for abortion providing facilities. No other medical or surgical providers are exempt from these oversights, and I’m troubled by the fact that members of the Legislature are promoting the return to unsafe, unsanitary, back-alley procedures that advocates have fought so passionately against for decades.
“Proposal 3 was sold as a way to ensure access and protect women. What Democrat leadership has done is taken what was marketed to voters and took it 10 steps further. Voters did not approve on-demand abortions with no questions asked and at any time — and they certainly did not approve of removing basic safety precautions or eliminating screening procedures meant to determine if a woman was being coerced.
“This one-sided, radical push will return the abortion industry back to the dark alleys where we were told for years that it didn’t belong, and that we needed to fight against.
“Under these bills, ‘safe, legal and rare’ will become ‘unprofessional, dangerous and often.’
“I do not support any part of these extreme, dangerous efforts.”
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