Grand Rapids, MI — More than 200,000 signatures to end dismemberment abortions have been received at the Right to Life of Michigan office.
Last week marked the halfway point of the Michigan Values Life petition drive, and the signatures received represent half of the 400,000 goal. 340,047 valid signatures are necessary to initiate legislation to ban the late-term dismemberment abortion procedure.
Right to Life of Michigan President Barb Listing said, “We are thankful for all the dedicated volunteers circulating petitions, and we are confident our incredible volunteers will collect the required number of signatures.”
The signature count does not include signatures thought to be invalid. The count only includes petitions received at the Right to Life of Michigan state office—not the total number of signatures gathered by volunteers. Petitions with signatures dated in July continue to be received daily.
Listing said, “We know people are holding completed petitions. Because of the time it takes to check all the signatures, we strongly encourage everyone to send in petitions as they are completed so we can count them.”
31,721 petitions have been received and counted as of Friday, September 27. More received petitions remain to be counted and more than 300,000 petitions are currently circulating in the field. Each petition has spaces for 8 signatures.
The first signatures were collected on June 26, 2019. The 180-day window to collect signatures ends on December 23, 2019.
Listing said, “Now that we are into the fall season, petitions are coming in more rapidly. We are hopeful after a strong push the signature gathering will be wrapped up before the holiday season.”
Right to Life of Michigan will give volunteers 14 days’ notice before a deadline to send in all collected signatures. Volunteers will continue collecting signatures at least through October and likely into mid-November.
More information about the petition can be found on the petition drive website, www.michiganvalueslife.org.
For more information: Right to Life of Michigan Director of Communication/Education Chris Gast, (616) 532-2300, [email protected].
Background Information:
Dismemberment Abortion Ban Text
Petition Drive Frequently Asked Questions