Thread by @GovWhitmer

Yesterday, we got a lot done for Michiganders. But something happened in the House and Senate that I wanted you to see. Yesterday, members went to the floor to share the stories of women who chose abortion care in Michigan, a right I'm fighting like hell to protect. 🧵

Here’s why that’s important: at the end of the day, policy decisions are about families we are charged with representing. They are about #SomeoneYouLove. It’s the women in these stories, and their families, who will be impacted if our 1931 abortion ban goes into effect.

Whether a woman faces a medically complex pregnancy, such as an ectopic pregnancy, or an assault, or simply can't afford to bring another child into her family, that woman deserves the freedom to decide what's best. Not politicians.

Here are some of their stories:

#SomeoneYouLove has had an abortion. Someone like Rosemary Bayer who had an ectopic pregnancy. Nothing about her decision was easy.

#SomeoneYouLove may need to access abortion one day – just like Christine Morse who was diagnosed with breast cancer and just a few days later, a positive pregnancy test. To get the life-saving treatment she needed, she had to terminate her pregnancy.

#SomeoneYouLove may have birth control fail them. Someone like Nancy. She was still in college, no health insurance, and was unprepared to give a child the future they deserve. Because she was able to have a safe abortion, she was able to chart her own destiny.

#SomeoneYouLove has needed an abortion. Like Karen, a mother of two who received heartbreaking news that her pregnancy was non-viable. Karen’s story is a testament to why we must keep defending reproductive freedom.

#SomeoneYouLove may have been sexually assaulted. Someone like Christine who had an abortion at 17. No politician should make this choice for women and families.

#SomeoneYouLove has struggled with infertility. Someone like Lauren who has been trying to get pregnant for years. We must ensure that those who need emergency medical care can get it when they need it most.

#SomeoneYouLove has had an abortion before #RoeVWade. Women like Karen who doesn’t want anyone to share her experience of fear and lack of safety. We must appeal the outdated 1931 law, so women can access safe, legal abortions.

Whatever the reason, #SomeoneYouLove may need an abortion. It's not our place to judge, rather protect women who deserve the freedom to make their own decisions about their futures and lives.