Judge strikes down 1931 Michigan law criminalizing abortion

Abortion rights protesters attend a rally outside the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich., on June 24, 2022, following the United States Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Judge Elizabeth Gleicher, of the Court of Claims, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, struck down Michigan's 1931 anti-abortion law, months after suspending it. Judge Gleicher said the law, long dormant before U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, violates the Michigan Constitution. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

A judge on Wednesday struck down Michigan’s 1931 anti-abortion law, months after suspending it, the latest development over abortion rights in a state where the issue is being argued in courtrooms and, possibly, at the ballot box.

The law, which was long dormant before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, violates the Michigan Constitution, said Judge Elizabeth Gleicher.

“A law denying safe, routine medical care not only denies women of their ability to control their bodies and their lives — it denies them of their dignity,” Gleicher of the Court of Claims wrote. “Michigan’s Constitution forbids this violation of due process.”