The Passing of Proposal 3

As I am sure many of you already know, 137 days ago the United States supreme court removed a woman’s right to an abortion as a constitutional right. The states now have the individual power to decide the legality of such rights. In Michigan, Proposal 3 was on the ballot. Prop 3 would add to the Michigan constitution “ right to reproductive freedom”. On Tuesday night, many flocked to the streets of Detroit for a watch party. Amongst the party goers was Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “There are very few things that scare me. But when I think back to June of this year, I felt real fear. Fear for my own autonomy and my daughters and all women,” McDonald stated. “That fear found us all – but it also united us.” Several people spoke throughout the night, and were optimistic the vote would pass.

The proposal was passed at a 55.6% yes vote, with a huge total of 2,477,707 votes. The proposal was the most expensive ballot fight in Michigan history. The proposal also set new records for most submitted signatures for a constitutional amendment in Michigan, at a total of more than 750,000 signatures in July. Proposal 3 provides “a fundamental right” to access “prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion care, miscarriage management and infertility care,” in the official words going into the constitution. This is big news for the people of Michigan. Not only does this allow for safe health care to be provided for Michigan women, it allows doctors to maintain judgment over a patients well being, and their ability to perform the life saving operations needed in some cases.