As a state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), Right to Life of Michigan (RLM) looks to the NRLC on matters of federal legislation.

The NRLC position on a federal 15-week ban can be found here.

The NRLC has asserted, and RLM agrees, that:

“As a tool to save lives, a 15-week ban is very, very weak. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and/or the Guttmacher Institute, about 95% of abortions occur by 15 weeks and of the remaining 5% many are for the life of the mother or medical emergency reasons.”

While proponents of a 15-week ban laud this path forward, RLM sees the effort as fatally flawed. A 15-week ban offers little to no protection for the unborn, as the overwhelming majority of abortions (95%) occur within this window of time.

Elected officials interested in offering meaningful protections and alternatives for women seeking an abortion and, ultimately, saving the lives of vulnerable children regardless of gestational age, should focus on legislative priorities such as:

• Protecting the rights of parents to be involved in a minor’s decision related to an abortion.
• Ensuring taxpayer dollars are not used for abortion.
• Protecting informed consent and existing “right to know” laws for women seeking an abortion.

For a more expansive list of life-affirming federal legislative priorities, visit NRLC.org/federal.

A post-Roe era calls for bold, compassionate leadership on the issue of abortion.

Advocates for life must and can offer a compelling case for the unborn that both invites women to make a choice for life and offers meaningful legal protections which ensure the rights of parents and safeguard women more broadly. We must and can do better for women and the unborn.