State Rep. Matthew Bierlein is continuing to stand against Democrat-sponsored proposals that would repeal crucial health, safety and reporting standards for abortion clinics and eliminate informed consent requirements.

House Bills 4949-59, the so-called “Reproductive Health Act” under consideration in the House after being advanced by the House Health Policy Committee last month, remove Michigan’s medical licensing and safety requirements in surgical abortion centers. These dangerous, unpopular changes go far beyond simply implementing the reproductive health ballot measure that Michigan voters passed in 2022.

“These are medical procedures. Like other medical procedures, it is important to have proper health and safety standards in place,” said Bierlein, of Vassar. “We shouldn’t loosen standards that protect women, children and attending medical staff in our communities to satisfy a radical national agenda on abortion.

“These standards were not put in place to discourage people from having abortions. They were designed to keep people safe during a health care procedure, just as is the case for countless other procedures that occur every day.”

Bierlein pointed to a situation involving a Muskegon clinic in 2013 where it was found that the facility was not being routinely inspected by either state or local health agency officials. The city closed the clinic in December of that year due to unsanitary conditions. 

“Lowering standards will inevitably lead to corners being cut and more situations like this in the future – and that means less people will be safe during these procedures,” Bierlein said.

Polling conducted by Marketing Resource Group this year shows that 90 percent of Michigan voters support the licensing and inspection of abortion facilities for health and safety purposes.

The plans eliminate requirements for abortion providers to report the abortions they perform and any instances of a woman facing complications or death as the result of an abortion. They also end protections that ensure women have the opportunity to provide informed consent before getting an abortion, with at least 24 hours to review information in non-emergency situations. Bierlein said removing this protection could lead to hastily made medical decisions.

The bills have been stalled in the House amidst pushback from at least one Democrat.