Majority of Michigan GOP voters would permit abortion for rape or incest, poll finds
A majority of likely voters in Michigan's Republican primary say they support allowing abortion in cases of rape or incest, a position that conflicts with current state law and the stances of four out of five GOP gubernatorial candidates.
About 68% of 500 likely GOP primary voters polled July 13-15 said they support allowing abortion when a woman is raped or impregnated by a family member, and 75% said they support such exceptions in the case of a pregnant minor.
By a 74% to 19% margin, those polled support the June 24 U.S. Supreme Court opinion that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that enshrined abortion as a constitutional right. And Republican primary voters were even stronger in their support of allowing an abortion to protect the life of the mother, 78% to 12%.
Michigan's current abortion law, enacted in 1931 but currently blocked from enforcement by a court order, does not permit abortion when a woman has been raped or impregnated but does create an exception to preserve the life of the mother.
"There’s no ambiguity amongst Republican primary voters on where they stand on the rape and incest question," pollster Richard Czuba said. "They support an exception.”
The statewide poll was commissioned by The Detroit News and WDIV (Channel 4) and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Abortion ranks fourth in terms of issues Republican voters ranked as the most important facing Michigan, according to the poll. The issue was outranked by inflation and gas costs, the economy and jobs and Democratic leadership.
Angela Coughenour, a 60-year-old Holland resident, was among those polled who voiced support for an exception for rape or incest. Coughenour disagrees with abortion but said she doesn't think it's her place "to make decisions for other people" or "legislate morality."
"I do consider myself pro-life, but in that case my consideration is more the life of the mother," Coughenour said of exceptions for victims of rape and incest. "And whether it’s a young mother or not, it’s a traumatic experience to go through after surviving a traumatic experience."
Exception disconnect
The poll indicates a potential disconnect between the Republican voters surveyed and the Right to Life of Michigan endorsement some of those voters use to discern which candidates to support.
Right to Life of Michigan's endorsement is not given to candidates who support exceptions for rape and incest, though it does support candidates who side with exceptions for the life of the mother.
The Right to Life endorsement still carries weight in the GOP primary, even for those supporting exceptions for rape and incest, Czuba said.
Where the varying views on rape and incest exceptions are more likely to come into play are in the general election, where the issue may push moderate Republicans or independents to vote for a Democratic candidate, he said.
"It will make an enormous difference with independent voters,” Czuba said.
Michigan Planned Parenthood Votes, the political action committee for the abortion provider, argued Tuesday the poll reflects a split between where some state candidates stand publicly on the issue and where their electorate does.
"We know that abortion bans, particularly ones without exceptions, are deeply unpopular even among Republican voters and the current slate of candidates in the Republican governor primary are wildly out of step with Republican voters," said Ashlea Phenicie, a spokeswoman for the group.
Right to Life of Michigan prohibits an exemption for rape and incest in its endorsement criteria because the group recognizes the unborn child's life as starting at conception, regardless of the circumstances leading to the pregnancy, said Genevieve Marnon, legislative director for the anti-abortion organization.
"There are people throughout this entire state conceived in rape — do they not deserve legal protection?” she asked.
Still, Marnon recognized such a situation as "horrific" and argued a poll wasn't the best way to gauge stances on such an emotionally charged, complicated topic.
Lawmakers could have that discussion with their constituents in the coming months, Marnon said, but not if a ballot initiative seeking to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution is successfully voted in November.
"These are conversations that will be forestalled," Marnon said. "The conversations will not happen if we enshrine a constitutional right to abortion."
Anti-abortion groups have criticized the ballot initiative, which is awaiting certification for the November ballot, as too far-reaching and something that will run counter to dozens of existing laws, including the state abortion ban and parental and informed consent requirements. The ballot initiative was not polled in recent general and primary election surveys.
State Rep. Matt Hall, who is running to be the next House speaker should Republicans retain a majority in November, said the legal challenges to the state's abortion ban, the ballot initiative seeking to enshrine abortion in the state constitution and the upcoming November elections make it a difficult landscape to have a meaningful debate about potential changes, including adding exemptions, to the state abortion ban.
Even if such an exemptions were put into law, they would not likely be "sufficient to protect access," Phenicie said, referencing decisions that would have to be made at the ground level to understand whether a woman falls into an exempt category.
"It forces doctors to be consulting legal counsel, lawyers and ultimately politicians on where the line is that they can provide care," Phenicie said.
Of the five remaining Republican gubernatorial candidates, businessman Kevin Rinke is the only one to support an exemption for rape or incest, according to answers the candidates have given at several debates.
Conservative commentator Tudor Dixon, real estate broker Ryan Kelley and chiropractor Garrett Soldano all support exceptions for the life of the mother, but not in cases of rape or incest. Dixon received the Right to Life of Michigan endorsement in June.
The fifth GOP gubernatorial candidate, Pastor Ralph Rebandt, opposes all exceptions, including those for the life of the mother and those for rape or incest.
eleblanc@detroitnews.com