(LifeSiteNews) — A lone, abortion-supporting Democrat has temporarily put a halt to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s relentless attacks on the unborn.
Currently, Democrats have a razor-thin 56-54 majority in the State House. They have an equally slim 20-18 edge in the State Senate.
Since taking control of all chambers of power in 2022 (the first time the party has done so in nearly 40 years), Democrats have rammed through a number of left-wing, anti-family policies that have had the effect of completely dismantling the state’s 1931 abortion ban.
Earlier this week, state Rep. Karen Whitsett of Detroit sided with all seven Republican members of the Health Policy Committee during a vote on the misleadingly named Reproductive Health Act, a package of 11 bills that would aggressively expand abortion access.
Whitsett, who is black, has admitted to “terminating” a child she conceived after being raped. While she supports abortion, she expressed opposition to two parts of the Act.
Her first disagreement is the use of Medicaid funds for abortions. The second is the doing away with a one-day waiting period for women who are considering ending the life of their unborn child.
“I do not think it is too much to ask when someone’s terminating a life, a 24-hour pause to be able to say for sure this is the decision you want to make,” Whitsett has said.
“I want to ensure that [women] are always receiving safe and accessible abortions,” she also told CBS News Detroit.
Bridge Michigan reported that the bills would also repeal a ban on partial-birth abortions, end manslaughter penalties associated with abortionists, loosen regulations on abortion facilities, allow for taxpayer dollars to be used for abortion, and permit universities to refer students to abortion providers.
Whitsett has also explained that she wants to “tweak” certain aspects of the package, which she has said she broadly “supports” and “wants to get… right” but is currently not in favor of.
Republican state Rep. Steve Carra spoke to LifeSite about Whitsett’s unwillingness to support the Act, which has sparked speculation that one or two moderate Republicans might vote for it in her place if she remains opposed to it.
“Her challenging of the Democrat caucus is a chance for the Michigan GOP to stand united on principle, to block Democrats from passing extremist pro-abortion policies from getting across the finish line,” he said during a phone call Thursday.
Since her no vote, Whitsett has been excoriated by liberals on social media.
The advocacy wing of Michigan Planned Parenthood urged its followers on X to inundate Whitsett’s office with phone calls and emails.
If State Rep. Whitsett votes in opposition to the RHA, she will be solely responsible for the continued enforcement of dozens of anti-abortion restrictions across the state that disproportionately harm people of color and those struggling to make ends meet. #PassTheRHA pic.twitter.com/lkB4tUfpZU
— Michigan Planned Parenthood Advocates (@mippadvocates) September 21, 2023
Progressive outlet Daily Kos has attacked her as well.
Karen Whitsett won 2020 Dem primary 45-31 months after appearing at the White House to praise Trump’s promotion of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug that scientists have warned is ineffective and potentially deadly when used to treat COVID. https://t.co/cnzV6OSQDB https://t.co/0xFV3pjFRg
— Daily Kos Elections (@DKElections) September 20, 2023
Others online have accused her of “betraying” her constituents.
Whitsett specified to CBS Detroit that she did not have enough time to research the language in the bills beforehand.
“We did not work on it in a timely fashion before this came up in committee, which is why I was a no vote,” she said. “These conversations need to be had.”
She added that, “I have to protect women. I definitely have to protect those who are the most vulnerable.”
Michigan voters supported the pro-abortion Proposal 3 measure 57 percent to 43 percent this past summer. At present, around 30,000 abortions are performed in Michigan every year, 56 percent of which are obtained by black women.
Thanks to Gov. Whitmer’s radical abortion policies, Michigan has become a magnet for out-of-state abortion seekers. Data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services shows that in-state doctors performed 66 percent more (2,761 in total) abortions on non-Michigan residents in 2022 than in 2021 (1,665).
“That’s the first time out-of-state patients accounted for more than 6 percent of Michigan procedures,” the outlet found.
Michigan GOP state Rep. Jim DeSana, a Catholic, organized a Eucharistic procession around the State Capital last December in reparation for the extreme abortion laws being passed by Democrat lawmakers. DeSana told LifeSite another procession is scheduled for Wednesday, November 8.