Republican figures in Michigan, Kevin Whiteford and state Rep. Mark Tisdel, are facing scrutiny over their support for stringent abortion laws, a stance that may impact their bids for seats in the Michigan Legislature.
Democrats currently maintain a slim majority in the Michigan House of Representatives, with all legislative seats up for grabs this election year.
Rep. Mark Tisdel, who has represented District 55 in the Michigan House since 2021, covers parts of Oakland County. He has been a vocal opponent of recent legislative efforts to expand abortion rights in the state.
In 2022, Michigan voters approved Proposal 3, embedding the right to an abortion into the state constitution. Following this, Democratic lawmakers furthered abortion access by enacting the Reproductive Health Act, consisting of nine bills that largely repealed unnecessary abortion restrictions.
House Bill 4949, part of this legislative package, established a state law right to abortion and repealed the Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act, a 2019 statute that barred private insurance plans from covering reproductive care in basic plans.
Tisdel opposed the Reproductive Health Act and introduced House Bill 5012, aiming to prohibit abortion post-fetal viability, despite existing limitations under Proposal 3.
He has garnered support from Right To Life Of Michigan, an organization that champions abortion bans.
Kevin Whiteford, an accountant, is contesting the incumbent Democratic Rep. Joey Andrews in District 38.
Whiteford, who ran for the same position in 2022, expressed his belief to the Holland Sentinel that life commences at conception, advocating for legal protections for fertilized eggs.
“I believe life starts at conception,” Whiteford stated. “It has its own DNA, to me that means it has a constitutional right.”
In July 2022, Whiteford welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and reiterated his stance on when life begins.
“First of all, that decision said the federal government should — it should be in the position of the residents to vote on, and that’s what we believe in,” Whiteford declared. “I believe the federal government needs to get out of a lot of things: education, this issue, and businesses. First of all, I am pro-life. I believe in life at conception. I believe that pro-life means life at conception all the way to the end of life. When the kids get born, we need to figure out how to make them productive citizens of this country, and we need to get them productive citizens of this district, and so they stay in this district.”
In October 2022, the Herald-Palladium noted that Whiteford supported exceptions for abortion in cases of rape or incest, but only within the first trimester.
Whiteford has been actively participating in the Facebook group “Stop Little Joey,” which targets Andrews. His posts have appeared within the group, which has previously operated under titles like “the Berrien County Young Republicans” and “Berrien County Republican Action.”
A post from the group on September 17 criticized Andrews for backing “legalized abortion.” Earlier, on January 17, it shared a poll querying members’ support for a 15-week abortion limit, shorter than the 24 weeks currently allowed by state law.
Requests for comments from the Tisdel and Whiteford campaigns went unanswered at the time of reporting.
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