Longtime leader of Right to Life of Michigan is retiring

Lansing — Barbara Listing, who's been the president of Right to Life of Michigan for more than four decades, is retiring from her post, leading the state's top anti-abortion group.

Right to Life announced Listing's upcoming departure in a press release Tuesday morning, after Democrats, who won control of the state Legislature in November 2022, repeatedly used their power this year to change state law to safeguard abortion rights.

"Our history as a nation is built upon the right to life and not its deliberate destruction," Listing said in a statement about her retirement Tuesday. "With compassion and respect for all, our organization will continue its mission through legal means to encourage all to make the choice for life."

Listing began serving as a volunteer for Right to Life in the 1970s before becoming its president in 1980, according to the organization. Her long tenure as Right to Life of Michigan’s leader included directing its educational, legal and political priorities.

Under Listing, Right to Life of Michigan was a prominent player in the Michigan Legislature, successfully pushing for changes to state law, and was involved in ballot proposal campaigns and petition efforts. In 1998, for instance, the organization helped defeat an initiative that sought to allow for physician-assisted suicide.

Listing was the group's leader in June 2022 as the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its past Roe v. Wade decision, which had protected access to abortion nationally. In a statement at the time, Listing thanked the justices "for their courage and wisdom" in overruling a standard "that has plagued our society for the past 50 years."

However, last year, Right to Life of Michigan's campaign against Proposal 3, which aimed to enshrine abortion rights in the Michigan Constitution, failed. The measure passed with 57% support, and Republican Tudor Dixon, whom Right to Life endorsed early for governor, lost to Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, who vowed to "fight like hell" to protect abortion access, by 10 percentage points.

Last week, Whitmer signed a bill to remove Right to Life-backed restrictions on health insurance coverage of abortion.

"I am proud that in just over 18 months, we have gone from the repeal of Roe v. Wade to expanding reproductive freedom in Michigan with the passage of Proposal 3 and the Reproductive Health Act," Whitmer said in a statement about the bill signing. "Let’s keep protecting every Michigander’s fundamental freedom to make their own decision about their own body."

Amber Roseboom, who previously served as vice president of operations for Right to Life of Michigan, will be the organization's next president. Roseboom assumes her new role Jan. 1.

Staff Write Beth LeBlanc contributed.

cmauger@detroitnews.com