Rep. Jim Haadsma Says He’ll Continue Supporting Abortion Rights In Michigan
Democratic Representative Jim Haadsma is running for reelection in Michigan House District 44. Representative Haadsma is a known supporter of abortion rights. When it became clear the U.S. Supreme Court was considering overturning Roe v. Wade, a group of Michigan lawmakers submitted an amicus brief demanding the Court to uphold the law that had protected a woman’s right to choose for decades. Rep. Haadsma was one of the 45 Michigan Democrats who signed onto the brief.
In a statement released on behalf of the brief’s signers, Michigan Democratic Senators Jim Ananich (D-Flint) and Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) said, “Abortion is health care. We will not sit quietly while a certain small faction attempts to dismantle a person’s right to their own reproductive freedom. While the current activist majority on the Supreme Court may be signaling their intent to undo or undermine protections promised to us under Roe v. Wade, this brief is a clear and urgent message that justices’ personal beliefs should not interfere with the medical care of residents in this country.” In 2023, Rep. Haadsma voted for the Reproductive Health Act, and to repeal Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban.
Representative Haadsma will face Republican nominee Steve Frisbie in November. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Frisbie took to Twitter, now X, to celebrate. According to Frisbie, “Roe and Casey are overturned!...The ruling apparently is clear: there is no Constitutional right to have an abortion.”
Frisbie was not alone in his celebration. The entire Michigan Republican Party issued a statement after the Roe decision: “Today, the Supreme Court issued a historic opinion as they overturned Roe v. Wade, in a huge win for life and state rights.” With Roe v. Wade no longer the law of the land, a 1931 Michigan law that banned abortion could have taken effect. A majority of Republican lawmakers voted to keep the abortion ban in place, but it was eventually overturned.
Right to Life of Michigan PAC has endorsed Frisbie in the race for District 44. RLM-PAC is an anti-abortion group that requires candidates to support abortion bans without exceptions for rape or incest in order to receive an endorsement, a position at odds with the vast majority of voters.
Note: this article has been updated to reflect the results of the August 6 primary.