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PETITION: Urge state governors to stop abortions during coronavirus crisis Sign the petition here.

April 2, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Pro-lifers in Michigan and Illinois are pressuring their state’s Democratic governors to consider making abortion a “non-essential” medical procedure during the coronavirus outbreak. Their calls echo the demands of other abortion opponents across the country.

Since COVID-19 spread to the United States from China several weeks ago, liberal activists have been lobbying lawmakers and filing lawsuits to ensure that the killing of unborn babies continues without interruption. Their efforts have been somewhat though not entirely successful.

According to recent statistics released by Created Equal, an Ohio-based pro-life group, eight states have ordered abortions to stop altogether while surgical abortions have been specifically ordered to stop in Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Iowa. Non-essential surgeries have been banned, yet abortions continue in Maryland, Florida, Colorado, Michigan, Rhode Island, Arizona, New York, Alaska, Indiana, West Virginia, Georgia, and Vermont.

In a statement issued March 25, Right to Life of Michigan called on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to treat abortion facilities like other outpatient surgical facilities. Whitmer is the state’s liberal, first-term Democratic governor. Former vice president Joe Biden has said he is considering her as a possible running mate.

“Botched abortions can require follow-up surgical procedures or emergency room visits,” the press release reads. “Use of the abortion pill often results in complications such as excessive bleeding requiring visits to a doctor’s office. Patients and staff inside abortion facilities increases the likelihood of coronavirus spreading from close contact.”

Whitmer’s executive order defines essential services as those that are “necessary to address a medical emergency or to preserve the health and safety of a patient.” 

Barbara Listing, the president of Right to Life Michigan, rejects the claim that abortion falls into that category.

“The vast majority of abortions are performed for economic or social reasons,” she said. “Right now, people with legitimate medical needs are suffering in pain. We’re postponing hip replacements or fixing cracked teeth to ensure our front-line doctors and nurses are equipped. These procedures in many cases will be more burdensome and expensive for people in need because they had to wait. Why aren’t we treating them fairly? Why should abortion facilities get to be above the law?”

“We’re seeing a pattern of pro-abortion elected officials putting ideology first, and people at risk of the coronavirus second,” she added.

The Michigan Heartbeat Coalition and Michigan Republican Party chairwoman Laura Cox have also called on Whitmer to consider labeling abortion a non-essential procedure. Activist Lynn Mills of Pro Life Michigan has as well. 

In a statement provided to LifeSite via email, Mills said, “For all of Gov. Whitmer's posturing, juxtapositioning and defending her every move and her ORDERS, she cannot bring herself to defend or even mention her allowing abortion as a life sustaining exemption and why they can remain OPEN as a choice elective surgical option.”

In nearby Illinois, an organization called Illinois Citizens for Ethics has launched a petition demanding Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker back off his decision to consider abortion an “essential” medical procedure during the coronavirus outbreak.

“Because COVID-19 can be transferred through close human interaction and because front-line medical personnel need health and safety equipment, the Department of Health and Human Resources has asked for all non-essential medical procedures to be postponed until COVID-19 is defeated,” the petition reads. 

“Masks, gowns, gloves, and more can then be allocated to the front-life personnel battling COVID-19. Plus, any unnecessary medical interactions ONLY risk increasing the spread of COVID-19. We ask Governor Pritzker, like other governors have done, to include abortion clinics as non-essential medical centers to help end COVID-19; therefore, saving many lives.”

“In this critical point in human history, where millions of lives are at stake, Governor Pritzker and his team have chosen ideology over the lives of Illinois residents,” the group’s website adds. 

Governors in the Midwest are not the only one’s coming out in favor of abortion at this time. Ralph Northam, the pro-infanticide Democratic governor of Virginia, recently exempted abortion centers, as well as “the full suite of family planning services,” from being considered non-essential services during the COVID-19 outbreak.

For charitable comments only, contact:

Gretchen Whitmer
Governor of Michigan
Lansing, Michigan office
(517) 373-3400

J.B. Pritzker
Governor of Illinois
Chicago, Illinois office
(312) 814-2121

Springfield, Illinois office
(217) 782-6830

Ralph Northam
Governor of Virginia
Richmond, Virginia office
(804) 786-2211