Whitmer Signs Executive Order Refusing To Extradite Woman, Providers Coming To Michigan For Reproductive Healthcare

LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) -- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Wednesday refusing to extradite women who come to the state for reproductive healthcare.

Officials say the order also protects providers of legal abortion in Michigan.

The executive order comes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, marking a shift in abortion law with several states expected to limit or ban the procedure.

"After the overturn of Roe v Wade and the ensuing implementation of a series of extreme bans on abortion that criminalize women and medical professionals across the country, visitors to Michigan must know that they can access reproductive health care within our borders without fear of extradition. That is why I signed an executive order today refusing to cooperate with out-of-state law enforcement seeking to punish women for seeking health care," Whitmer said in a statement.

"I will stand up for all women, even if their local and statewide leaders refuse to. Michigan must remain a place where a person's basic rights are preserved. In this existential moment for fundamental rights, it is incumbent on every elected official who believes that health—not politics—should guide medical decisions to take bold action."

So far, multiple states have proposed laws making abortion a felony.

In the state of Michigan, GOP Rep. Steve Carra proposed his "Protection at Conception Act," in which an individual would be guilty of manslaughter if they perform or attempt to perform an abortion, "except to save a pregnant woman who is in imminent physical danger that will result in the loss of her life from the pregnancy."

The measure was introduced last month and is looking to create penalities with a 10-year prison sentence and a $100,000 fine. It also states that anyone manufacturing, distributing or selling a drug intended to cause an abortion would be guilty of a felony and sentenced to no more than 20 years.

In a statement, Carra said the act would make Michigan's 1931 abortion law "enforceable post-Roe v. Wade."

"This is the most comprehensive pro-life legislation introduced in Michigan and will be legally enforceable," Carra said.

Abortion is currently legal in the state after Court of Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher granted a preliminary injunction, suspending the state's 1931 ban.

In April, the governor filed a lawsuit protecting abortion rights. Following the Supreme Court's ruling, she filed a motion for the Michigan Supreme Court to consider her lawsuit.

"We need to clarify that under Michigan law, access to abortion is not only legal, but constitutionally protected. The urgency of the moment is clear—the Michigan court must act now," she said in a statement.

Whitmer recently asked President Joe Biden to make birth control available over the counter without a prescription. In a letter to Biden, Whitmer says moving birth control to over-the-counter would "mitigate inequities in our healthcare system."

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