Hanging in the Balance

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TRANSCRIPT

With the defeat of Roe v. Wade, the pro-life movement is fighting state-by-state battles for the preborn.

Church Militant's Kristine Christlieb reports on Michigan's fight for life.

After hours of public comment, the four-member Michigan Board of Canvassers was deadlocked Wednesday after voting along party lines on a proposed state constitutional amendment to enshrine the so-called right to abortion.

The fate of the amendment is now in the hands of the state Supreme Court.

Tony Daunt, chairman, Michigan Board of Canvassers:

There's [sic] some significant concerns at hand about the form of the petition. And expect the court, one way or the other, to make it clear what we should do. Perhaps they'll rule that our deadlock was correct, that it should not receive certification. Perhaps they will overrule us and tell us to come back and meet again and certify so it can be on the ballot.

In order for the amendment to be included on the November ballot, the court must make its decision before Sept. 9.

The pro-life coalition Citizens to Support MI Women and Children challenged the amendment, building its case on a muddled section of the text.

The coalition argued their complaint was entirely about how the amendment was formulated, pointing out that petitions are legal documents that require actual words.

Additionally, the original amendment language the board approved on March 23 did not include those errors, but the circulated petition did.

Pro-life supporters overwhelmed abortion activists, 2-to-1.

Pro-life commenter: "If the Board of Canvassers were to approve this amendment with the errors and all, and if the amendment succeeded in November, the constitution of the state of Michigan would look like gibberish. So I leave you with three sentences in English: Abort the amendment. Abort the amendment. Abort the amendment."

The governor appoints these state-level canvassers whose staff is employed by the secretary of state's office.

This battle brings into sharp focus one of the reasons pro-lifers are battling so hard for a new governor, a new secretary of state and a new attorney general.

The deadlocked Board of Canvassers is a strong indication the Michigan pro-life movement is still alive to fight another day and could ultimately defeat this amendment.

Commenters who showed up at the public meeting claimed there were up to 43 errors in the circulated amendment petition.

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