Despite the bitter end, I’m proud of the work we did this session and am immeasurably grateful to our allies both in and out of #mileg who fought to deliver some crucial, long-overdue victories that helped secure safety, bodily autonomy, and dignity for all Michiganders.

[email protected] of the ACLU of Michigan is here to emphasize the ACLU's support for these bills. Exempting some officials from a law that's meant to foster accountability at all levels of government creates a culture where lawmakers act without any expectation of oversight.

Call our connector line at 1.517.429.2258 to contact your representatives directly and encourage them to support Senate Bills 401 - 404 on behalf of all Michigan voters. #mileg

SB 1082 takes important, targeted steps to address the threat of data to reproductive rights in Michigan. In an age when reproductive rights are under attack and when data can be — and is — used to facilitate those attacks, SB 1082 provides crucial, timely protections.

Those prosecutions rely in significant part on the wide swath of data that we generate every day, which may reveal our repro healthcare decisions. Data collected by period trackers, fitness apps, or brick-and-mortar retailers may reveal or provide a means of predicting someone’s pregnancy status.

13 states have enacted total bans on abortion and eight have pre-viability bans. 2 others have attempted to curtail other rights, including the ability for medical professionals to make out-of-state referrals, for individuals to travel out of state, or for educators to teach about repro healthcare.

The fall of Roe has had devastating impacts as states across the country ban and criminalize abortion. States like Michigan that protect access to abortion play an essential role in providing care to people from states that criminalize care and jeopardize access to needed health care services.

These effects include reducing racial turnout disparities; making govn't more responsive to the needs and legislative priorities of communities of color; and increasing diversity in government office, so that elected representatives more fully reflect the communities they serve.

Equitable voting rights protections, like those in the federal VRA and state-level voting rights acts, have had powerful effects in making the democratic process fairer, more equal, and more inclusive.

By enacting the MIVRA, Michigan can cement its emerging national leadership as a pro-voter state and help combat a newly rising tide of voter suppression efforts. #mileg