Michigan residents to vote on abortion amendment in November election

Michigan residents will vote on whether abortion rights should be protected under the state’s constitution in the November election, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. 

A 1931 law that criminalizes abortion in Michigan was set to take effect after the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade, but the law was suspended earlier this year and a judge struck it down last week. 

Voters will now decide on the issue after Reproductive Freedom for All gathered more than 700,000 signatures to qualify the abortion question for the ballot. 

The state Board of Canvassers was deadlocked along party lines last week, with Republicans and abortion opponents arguing that the petition was invalid due to improper spacing. 

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The Michigan Supreme Court ordered the board to certify the ballot measure on Thursday, overriding the board’s deadlock. 

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had asked the state Supreme Court to rule on the 1931 law criminalizing abortion, but the high court hasn’t said whether it will intervene. 

Last month, voters in Kansas voted 59% to 41% against an amendment that would have given lawmakers the ability to regulate abortion in the state. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.