Genevieve Marnon of Right to Life of Michigan reports that Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) has signed into law an amendment that expands civil rights law by changing the state's anti-discrimination law in unprecedented ways.
"By redefining the word 'sex' to include elective abortions, the Elliot-Larson Civil Rights law has now been completely and radically changed from its origin of protecting people based on immutable or inherent characteristics, and now it includes an action, the action of elective abortion," Marnon explains.
She points out that the state's businesses will be negatively affected.
"By making abortion part of the Elliot-Larson Civil Rights Act, it's going to force employers to provide abortion benefits in things like their maternity leave," Marnon details. "They might have to have abortion leave. If they pay for maternity care in their healthcare insurance plans, they will have to pay for abortion in their healthcare insurance plans -- and this goes against the conscience rights of many employers."
The law goes into effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session, so employers with a conscience, including ministries, have until then to decide what action to take. Meanwhile, Right to Life of Michigan has pledged to continue to seek alternative avenues of protecting employers from this "radical loss of conscience protections."
