Abortion rights ready to go before Michigan voters (Video)

(11 Jul 2022) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4388122 ASSOCIATED PRESS Lansing, Michigan - 11 July 2022 1. A person leads a call-and-response chant at the site of a news conference 2. A news conference attendee claps while holding a sign ANNOTATION: Abortion rights are poised to go before Michigan voters in November after a campaign turned in signatures for a ballot initiative. ASSOCIATED PRESS Lansing, Michigan - 11 July 2022 3. A person holds up a placard 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Shanay Watson-Whittaker, Reproductive Freedom for All: "Together, we will ensure abortion access is protected by law in Michigan. And today is the first major step forward." 5. Dr. Michael Hertz, a Reproductive Freedom for All volunteer, poses for a photo with two others ANNOTATION: The record-breaking 750,000-plus signatures submitted Monday will still need to be validated before moving forward. ASSOCIATED PRESS Lansing, Michigan - 11 July 2022 6. An attendee drapes an American flag over their shoulders ANNOTATION: But the initiative, which would make abortion a constitutional right, will be a focus in the battleground state's elections. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE: Detroit - 24 June 2022 7. A petition signature-gathering effort during a protest after the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion ASSOCIATED PRESS Lansing, Michigan - 11 July 2022 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Shanay Watson-Whittaker, Reproductive Freedom for All: ++PARTIALLY COVERED++ "The number of signatures show that, here in Michigan, we trust women, we trust people, we trust doctors, not politicians, to make decisions about our body." ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE: Detroit - 24 June 2022 9. The abortion rights protest ANNOTATION: Supporters of the ballot measure say it will clear up uncertainty in the courts and bring the decision on abortion directly to the voters. ASSOCIATED PRESS Lansing, Michigan - 11 July 2022 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Leslie Matthews, Michigan United: "The people of Michigan and this country are in the fight for their lives. What do we do when we're under attack?" What do we do when we're under attack?" 11. A news conference attendee reacts ANNOTATION: Opponents say the current language creates an "anything goes" proposal that would allow abortions at any age. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE: Detroit - 24 June 2022 12. Abortion rights supporters, including the signature-gatherer, march through the streets STORYLINE: Abortion rights are poised to come before Michigan voters in November after an abortion rights campaign turned in a record-breaking number of signatures Monday for a ballot initiative. The effort will further increase attention on Michigan's elections, where the battleground state's Democratic governor and attorney general have made abortion rights a centerpiece of their reelection campaigns. The push to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution comes weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and gave states the power to decide whether to ban the procedure. The ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. Michigan is among several states with a pre-Roe abortion law that was set to take effect if Roe was overturned. However, a judge issued an injunction that temporarily blocked it. The 1931 law would make abortion a felony in all cases, except when "necessary to preserve the life of such woman." The signatures still must be verified by the Bureau of Elections and validated by the Board of State Canvassers before the proposed amendment can appear on the Nov. 8 ballot. Clients are reminded: Subscribe for more Breaking News: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Website: https://apnews.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP Facebook: https://facebook.com/APNews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/fcc6211223a84b57b349bacd1e73a9c3