Rep. Betsy Coffia ‘Staunchly’ Supports Abortion Rights, Slams “Government Overreach” Into Private Healthcare Decisions

Democratic incumbent Rep. Betsy Coffia is running for reelection in Michigan House District 103. According to her campaign website, Rep. Coffia says, “I staunchly support the right to privacy and access to reproductive healthcare including abortion care.” Rep. Coffia opposes “government overreach into our own private healthcare decisions, which belong exclusively between us and our medical care providers.” In 2022, Rep. Coffia was endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan as a “Sexual and Reproductive Health Champion.” 

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban could have become law once again. Rep. Coffia joined a majority of Michigan Democratic legislators in voting to repeal the ban, restoring abortion rights to the people of Michigan. Following her vote, she posted a message on Twitter, now X, that said, “[w]ith tears in my eyes and a full heart, I just voted YES to repeal the draconian 1931 Abortion trigger ban, a law that criminalized provision of reproductive care and was still lingering on our books in Michigan.”

The Republican Party of Michigan issued a statement celebrating the repeal of Roe v. Wade, calling it “a huge win.” The majority of Republican legislators in the state voted against repealing the 1931 abortion ban. 

Rep. Coffia’s Republican challenger is Lisa Trombley. Trombley does not include abortion among the “important issues that [she plans] to tackle” on her campaign website. However, she has been endorsed by Citizens for Traditional Values, an anti-choice organization that supports restoring Michigan’s abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest, among other restrictive reproductive health policies.

Note: this article has been updated to reflect the results of the August 6 primary.