Michigan’s Proposal 3, passed by voters in 2022, amended the state constitution to establish a right to “reproductive freedom,” including decisions related to abortion, contraception, and fertility care. Supporters said it restored protections lost after Roe v. Wade was overturned, but critics argue its broad language goes far beyond abortion access, including getting rid of long-standing health and safety regulations.

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The appeal, filed by Right to Life of Michigan, argues that the broad language of Proposal 3 endangers parental rights protected under the Fourteenth Amendment, specifically those involving a minor’s access to abortion without parental consent – a safeguard enshrined in Michigan law since 1993.

Parental rights under fire.

“Today’s appeal seeks to protect parental rights, which are now at unprecedented risk due to Proposal 3’s broad language,” says Amber Roseboom, President of Right to Life of Michigan. “It shocks the conscience to see the rampant disregard for the role of parents in helping guide their children through decisions that will impact their mental and physical wellbeing, which is undeniably the case with abortion.”

Roseboom continued in the press release, “The radical abortion-obsessed left is hell-bent on creating a wedge between parents and their children when it comes to abortion, gender identity and sex education. The threat to parental consent for abortion would jeopardize a critical, long-standing safeguard in protecting children from harm.”

The appeal was filed by attorney Robert J. Muise of the American Freedom Law Center. Right to Life of Michigan, founded in 1972, has over 282,000 members and 80 affiliates statewide, advocating for protections for women, children, the elderly, and the disabled.

Broader battle over parental oversight in schools.

The appeal comes as the Michigan Department of Education faces backlash over proposed health education standards that would require teaching reproductive health topics – including how minors can seek medical care – without parental approval. Lawmakers have also recently scrapped requirements for schools to discipline staff who assist students in obtaining abortions while expanding school-based health centers.

As Michigan continues to wrestle with questions of parental oversight in both education and healthcare, the Sixth Circuit appeal could become a defining moment for how far Proposal 3’s “reproductive freedom” extends – and whether parents will still have a say when the law collides with family values and parental rights.