Michigan GOP governor hopeful says he would support state abortion ban: recording

Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate James Craig said that if elected, he would support blocking any effort by Democrats to repeal the state’s previous abortion ban that could take effect once again if the Supreme Court overturns the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. 

In a recording obtained by liberal PAC American Bridge 21st Century and provided to the Detroit Metro Times, Craig, the former chief of the Detroit Police Department, was asked whether he would work to stop Democrats “from undoing the law that makes abortion illegal in Michigan.”

“I will do whatever I can — I’m pro-life,” he responded. 

When asked again if he would support blocking Democrats from “repealing that law,” the Republican candidate replied, “Yes.” 

Democrats, including Craig’s opponent, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), have called for state lawmakers to repeal the 1931 law that made it a felony to perform an abortion in Michigan. 

While the law has not been carried out in the state since the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that people have a constitutional right to abortion access, it has not been officially repealed, fueling fears among Democrats that the state ban could take effect again as the 6-3 conservative majority on the high court is set to review an abortion law in the coming months. 

Michigan state Sen. Erika Geiss (D) in February unveiled legislation seeking to officially repeal the state’s abortion ban, though the bill has not had movement since it was referred to the state Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee. 

Craig, who officially launched his campaign last week, has faced pushback for his comments in support of a state abortion ban, with Sam Inglot, deputy director of the progressive group Progress Michigan, telling the Metro Times Tuesday, “The right to abortion is about freedom, bodily autonomy, and people who become pregnant determining their own futures.” 

“The fact that James Craig is willing to take that freedom away is incredibly regressive and dangerous,” Inglot added. 

The Hill has reached out to Craig’s campaign for comment. 

Legal challenges to abortion bans have come to the forefront in recent weeks, especially after the Supreme Court declined to block a Texas law from taking effect that prohibits nearly all abortions after cardiac activity is detected, which can occur around six weeks into a pregnancy and before many people know they are pregnant. 

The Biden administration has launched a challenge to the state law, and on Monday filed an amicus brief in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case set to go before the Supreme Court for oral arguments in December. 

The case specifically focuses on the constitutionality of Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, with the administration arguing that Supreme Court precedent upholds that forcing someone to continue with a pregnancy is a “profound intrusion on her autonomy, her bodily integrity, and her equal standing in society.”