Monday, December 04, 2006

Michigan tries to ban undue influence

Glenn Sacks writes:
HB 5882, which passed the Michigan House 67-38, amends the Michigan Penal Code to create the Coercive Abortion Prevention Act. Its purpose is to prohibit the putative father of a pregnant woman's child from coercing or intimidating the woman into terminating her pregnancy. ...

HB 5882 actually makes it a crime for a man to "change or attempt to change an existing housing or cohabitation arrangement" with a pregnant significant other, to "file or attempt to file for a divorce" from his pregnant wife, or to "withdraw or attempt to withdraw financial support" from a woman who he has been supporting, if it is determined that the man is doing these things to try to pressure the woman to terminate her pregnancy.
This is weird. We already have laws that say that women can make their own abortion decisions without consulting or even informing their wives or boyfriends. In California, 14-year-old girls are not even required to tell their parents. And now Michigan wants to criminalize any man who even tries to influence a pregnant woman!

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