Our History
Local prolife organizations banded together to create the Voice of the Unborn to defeat Proposal B, a referendum to legalize abortion in Michigan. In November, 61% of Michigan voters defeated Proposal B.
The devastating decisions by United States Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, were announced on January 22. The decisions legalized abortion at any stage throughout pregnancy, overturning the laws of all 50 states. Rising to this new challenge, members of the Voice for the Unborn coalition formally united as Michigan Citizens for Life (MCL). The goals of this new organization were broadened to include the protection of human life from fertilization to natural death.
Prolife organizations around the country began efforts to pass a Human Life Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to overturn the effects of Roe v. Wade.
The first state-wide prolife newspaper was printed, Michigan Citizens for Life News, today known as Right to Life of Michigan News.
MCL, for purposes of clarity and unity, changed our name to Right to Life of Michigan (RLM).
RLM opened a legislative office to put more focus on advancing prolife legislation. The first main goal was banning tax-funded abortions through Medicaid. These efforts would continue through 17 gubernatorial vetoes and several failed veto override votes. During those years the state financed an average of 19,000 abortions per year.
RLM called churches in Michigan to celebrate Sanctity of Human Life Sunday with the Christian Action Council of Washington, D.C. President Reagan was the first to celebrate the sanctity of human life by national proclamation.
The pro-abortion People’s Campaign for Choice mounted their own petition drive to repeal the ban on Medicaid-funded abortions. Michigan citizens opposed Proposal A by 57%, keeping the ban on the books. On December 12, the law went into effect.
RLM began LifeBeat, a weekly five-minute educational radio show that ran for more than 20 years.
RLM launched a second initiative petition drive to bring “The Parental Rights Restoration Act” before the Legislature to require parental consent for minor teen abortions. The Legislature passed the measure on September 12, with no challenge from abortion supporters.
RLM-PAC helped elect John Engler as the first prolife governor of Michigan in twenty years.
The first annual High School Oratory Contest is sponsored by RLM.
Jack Kevorkian engages in his first public assisted suicide, eventually assisting in the death of 130 people and avoiding numerous prosecution attempts before his eventual imprisonment in 1999.
On June 14, Michigan became the first state in the nation to pass a partial-birth abortion ban. A nation-wide ban was vetoed by President Clinton and Michigan’s law was struck down in federal court. Following the Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision and acts of violence at abortion facilities, public opinion began drifting away from the prolife side, but the revelation of the existence of partial-birth abortion shocked the conscience of the nation.
Governor Engler signed into law a bill that closed loopholes that were allowing HMO’s and other health care groups to pay for abortions with tax money.
RLM began its 1-800-57-WOMAN campaign with four TV commercials airing statewide. The toll-free number connects women with pregnancy help centers that can provide counseling, emotional and material support.
RLM launched our website, RTL.org.
After several trials and acquittals, Jack Kevorkian killed his last patient, Thomas Youk, with a lethal injection and taped the incident for the show 60 Minutes.
RLM succeeded in getting a permanent ban passed on assisted suicide, as well as laws promoting better pain management for patients suffering from a terminal illness.
Proponents sought to legalize assisted suicide in Michigan with Proposal B. In response, Right to Life of Michigan formed Citizens for Compassionate Care, a broad coalition to defeat it. In September, polls had Proposal B winning by a safe margin. However, after a massive public information campaign exposing the dangers lurking in the proposal, Proposal B fell to a devastating defeat in November by 71% of voters.
Despite the focus on euthanasia, Michigan passed several notable prolife laws in 1998, including the first human cloning ban in the country. The Prenatal Protection Act also passed, giving legal protection to an unborn child when a criminal action against a pregnant woman results in the child’s death or injury.
A second attempt to ban partial-birth abortion by defining a partially-born baby as an infant with legal and human rights was signed by Governor Engler, but was again struck down in federal court.
Legislative efforts to require abortion facilities to follow basic health and safety regulations were successful.
RLM produced three TV ads for the first time focusing on men and abortion.
Jack Kevorkian is convicted of second-degree murder for the killing of Thomas Youk and was imprisoned.
RLM responded to the veto of the Legal Birth Definition Act by conducting our third statewide initiative petition drive. The People’s Override was successful in circumventing Governor Granholm, but was again struck down in federal court. Attorney General Mike Cox appealed the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to take the case.
RLM developed television ads promoting the loving option of adoption.
RLM debuted two new television commercials, “Accusations” and “Little Rascals,” in a state-wide campaign.
Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell became the center of a national controversy after a media blackout of revelations involving hundreds—if not thousands—of infanticides and the deaths of patients in his facility.
In response to Obamacare’s threats to conscience rights, RLM formed the NO Taxes for Abortion Insurance committee to conduct our fourth citizen-initiated legislation drive. More than 315,000 signatures were collected in 4 months by prolife volunteers to the Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act. The Act prevented abortion from being automatically included in health insurance plans.
RLM helped passed the Good Faith Medical Act, stopping hospitals from having secret medical futility policies for denying care to the sick or disabled.
Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell is convicted of murder in the deaths of three born-alive babies, and manslaughter for the death of patient Karnamaya Mongar.
RLM began an annual initiative to address abortion’s disparate impact on the Black community in Michigan by supporting Metro Detroit pregnancy centers. Grants to four centers were given.
RLM experienced our first example of online censorship, being locked out of our Facebook ad account. Wexford-Missaukee Right to Life was also locked out later that year. Both cases were resolved after generating public comment and news coverage.
Michigan’s Safe Delivery Law passed a milestone of 200 babies surrendered through the life-saving program.
Media outlets ran a sustained attack on the prolife movement using misleading video of a high school student at the national March for Life in January. Efforts to engage the media with retractions or apologies were unsuccessful.
In the early months of 2019, New York and Virginia passed shocking new permissive abortion laws, in preparation for the U.S. Supreme Court potentially overturning Roe v. Wade. During the same time, the prolife movie Unplanned was a box office success.
RLM led a fifth petition drive for citizen-initiated legislation to ban late-term dismemberment abortions. We submitted 379,418 signatures in December, persevering through many significant hurdles.
In response to public concern about the ethics of the Johnson and Johnson COVID vaccines involving the use of tissue from aborted babies, RLM helped place informed consent language within a pandemic relief supplemental bill, which was signed by Governor Whitmer. Unfortunately, the provision was only regarding the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) which has now lapsed.
RLM joined other organizations in submitting an amicus curae brief to the U.S. Supreme Court asking them to overturn Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The Court heard oral arguments in December, leading many observers to predict that Roe v. Wade was in danger.
The FDA changed regulations on abortion pills in December, allowing distribution through the mail.