Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer launched a new multimillion-dollar program in her state Wednesday offering free birth control to all residents.
The “Take Control of your Birth Control” program will provide Michiganders with condoms, over-the-counter oral contraceptives and emergency contraception starting in November until supplies run out, according to a press release. The program is being administered by Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services, which was awarded $5.6 million in taxpayer funds to expand family planning services, according to the state’s budget.
“Everyone, no matter how much money they make, deserves to make their own decisions about their own reproductive health and future,” Whitmer said in the press release. “With our family planning initiative, ‘Take Control of Your Birth Control,’ we are building on our work to protect reproductive freedom for all Michiganders. By expanding access to essential family planning tools, we are underscoring our commitment to ensuring Michiganders, along with their families and trusted health care providers, can make their own decisions about their own bodies and lives.”
In this photo illustration, a PlanB one-step contraceptive tablet is displayed on June 30, 2022 in San Anselmo, California. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The Biden-Harris administration on Monday called for private insurance companies to cover the cost of over-the-counter birth control through the Affordable Care Act, which Whitmer praised on X in an announcement for the new Michigan program. (‘Buy Votes’: Michigan Republicans Blast State Dems For Trying To Keep Residents On Dole As Election Looms)
We’re excited to announce this program here in Michigan as @POTUS and @VP have just proposed expanding insurance coverage of birth control. Together, we’re ensuring families have access to the resources they need and protecting reproductive freedom.
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) October 23, 2024
The governor has been a vocal pro-abortion advocate, suggesting she supports the practice through all nine months and even sued prosecutors in her state in 2022 in an attempt to enshrine abortion into the state constitution. The state passed a constitutional amendment that November legalizing abortion through 24 weeks of pregnancy and making it illegal to penalize doctors that perform the procedure.
Whitmer’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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