Abortion providers may face charges in Kent, Jackson counties (MI)

[Nevilledog]

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https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/abortion-providers-may-face-charges-kent-jackson-counties-attorney-says

LANSING — At least two county prosecutors would consider criminal charges against abortion providers despite a temporary injunction against enforcement of a 1931 ban, their attorney says, underscoring uncertainty over the legal status of abortion in Michigan.

Enforcement of the old law, which makes performing an abortion a felony by up to four years in prison, was suspended following a May injunction by a lower-court judge.

But David Kallman, a lawyer representing Republican prosecutors in Kent and Jackson counties, says the injunction only applies to the state, not county prosecutors.

“If there’s any prosecutor in this state right now today, and the police came to them with a investigation showing a doctor performed an abortion in violation of the statute, a prosecutor could prosecute right now — today — if they wanted to,” Kallman told Bridge Michigan.

The opinion contradicts assurances from Attorney General Dana Nessel and others that abortion remains legal in Michigan for now, despite Friday’s blockbuster ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that had guaranteed access to legal abortion for nearly 50 years, making it a state-level decision.

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