Whitmer Warns Against Constitutional Convention: Says Proposal 1 Threatens Abortion Rights
LANSING — Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer held a press conference Oct. 1 voicing opposition to Proposal 1 on the midterm ballot — whether to hold a Michigan constitutional convention — warning it would threaten reproductive freedom, including abortion rights enshrined in the state constitution.
Michigan's constitution automatically puts the "con-con" question on the ballot every 16 years. If voters say yes, delegates elected from each state House and Senate district would draft a new constitution — tweaking details or rewriting it entirely — which would then need voter approval in 2027 to take effect.
In a five-minute statement without taking reporters' questions, Whitmer criticized Republicans backing a con-con: "Their intentions are clear. They don't want to use this convention to expand rights. They want to use this convention to roll back and undermine women's reproductive freedom." Prominent Republicans including House Speaker Matt Hall and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt support a con-con, arguing the constitution could be simplified; neither has vocally backed using it to limit abortion, while Right to Life of Michigan urges a no vote on Proposal 1.
Source: WCMU Public Media (Oct. 1 report)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：密歇根州议会大厦（兰辛）。摄影：w_lemay，CC BY-SA 2.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
