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Abortion bills continue to move in Legislature despite Whitmer’s likely veto

LANSING, MI (MPRN)--   Controversial bills to outlaw a certain type of abortion procedure are scheduled for a state House committee hearing this week. 

The bills would ban the “dilation and evacuation” or D-and-E procedure. The bill has been moving steadily through the state House. That’s despite a likely veto by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Republican Senator Tom Barrett sponsored similar legislation in the state Senate. He says he’ll keep fighting for this ban despite Governor Whitmer saying she’ll veto anti-abortion bills.

“I was elected under certain priorities that I put out there. I campaigned on the fact that I’m a pro-life legislator and will continue to advocate in that way.”

There are also bills in the Legislature to prohibit the state from entering contracts with providers that offer abortion services and to change the timeline for when a woman can get an abortion.

Before becoming the newest Capitol reporter for the Michigan Public Radio Network, Cheyna Roth was an attorney. She spent her days fighting it out in court as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Ionia County. Eventually, Cheyna took her investigative and interview skills and moved on to journalism. She got her masters at Michigan State University and was a documentary filmmaker, podcaster, and freelance writer before finding her home with NPR. Very soon after joining MPRN, Cheyna started covering the 2016 presidential election, chasing after Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and all their surrogates as they duked it out for Michigan. Cheyna also focuses on the Legislature and criminal justice issues for MPRN. Cheyna is obsessively curious, a passionate storyteller, and an occasional backpacker. Follow her on Twitter at @Cheyna_R