Demystifying Proposal 3 Through a Perinatal Mental Health Lens
Lately, we’ve been noticing a little (okay, a LOT) of information on social media, TV commercials, and yard signs regarding Proposal 3 (aiming to provide a state constitutional right to reproductive freedom in Michigan), quite a bit of which is inflammatory, misleading, or downright incorrect. The language of the proposal can be pretty dense, so we wanted to take a minute to provide a simple overview of the facts around what this proposal would mean, especially through the lens of mental health care.
Why is Proposal 3 so incredibly important? The protection (or dismissing) of reproductive rights will have implications for every woman or person with a female reproductive system in Michigan. There’s been a lot of information circulating that Proposal 3 is an abortion rights proposal – and while yes, abortion rights are included in this proposal, Proposal 3 really covers the ENTIRE umbrella of women’s reproductive health.
Proposal 3 defines reproductive freedom as "the right to make and effectuate decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion care, miscarriage management, and infertility care."
Why does this broad statement matter? Let’s look at some statistics regarding women and reproductive care:
1 in 4 women will experience pregnancy loss/miscarriage
1 in 5 women will experience rape, and 5% of those women will experience a pregnancy due to their rape
1 in 7 women will experience a Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder (postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum OCD, postpartum psychosis)
1 in 8 couples (higher prevalence in military populations and people of color) will struggle with infertility
Statistically speaking, if you know a woman, you know someone who has been affected by one (or likely more) of these events.
Proposal 3 would ensure that the person navigating fertility treatments can continue receiving the medical treatment they need to hopefully build their families; that the woman who just lost a pregnancy can have options as to how she receives medical care and navigates her grief without fear of interrogation or prosecution; that the woman who has a high-risk pregnancy with serious complications can get the medical treatment she needs without losing her own life; that the woman who gave birth and is now struggling with Postpartum Depression/Anxiety can get the treatment she needs to feel better and contraception to prevent another pregnancy while she is healing. Proposal 3 allows the woman who has experienced rape/sexual assault to access the medical care and treatments she may need. It allows those with gynecological conditions (PCOS, endometriosis, etc) to access medications and birth control that are usually the first line of treatment for these conditions, regardless of whether they would like to have children or not.
Proposal 3 does include abortion rights and reinstates a woman’s right to make decisions regarding abortion care with her medical provider. However, Proposal 3 explicitly states that Michigan would continue to be allowed to regulate and deny abortion care after fetal viability (24-28 weeks gestation during pregnancy); this has been current Michigan law and would continue to be. The only exceptions to this would involve physical or mental health conditions that would be harmful for the mother to continue pregnancy, with agreement from her medical provider.
If Proposal 3 does not pass, there is a significant likelihood that Michigan will revert back to its very harsh 1931 abortions laws – which mean there would be no abortions allowed in the state unless the pregnant woman’s life is in danger. This would make performing or receiving an abortion a felony in Michigan - this sort of penalty makes doctors hesitant to act, even in situations where quick action is crucial for safety. There would be no additional protection for infertility care, miscarriage management, birth control, or prenatal and postpartum care - it would be possible for new bills to be introduced that would strip away guaranteed access to all of these infertility and perinatal services. This will very likely have serious and devastating implications on women’s healthcare, mental health, increased rates of maternal death and infanticide, and significant strain on our already strained health care and child welfare systems.
So why does a counseling center care about reproductive freedom? Rooted counselors see over 500 clients each week, many of whom are seeking support around trauma/sexual assault, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, miscarriage/infant loss, and infertility. The worst case scenarios of what can happen aren’t hypothetical here, they’re an every day reality. We are passionate about serving folks at the margins - many of whom will be the most negatively impacted if Proposal 3 doesn’t pass. We are committed to walking with brave souls through unimaginable situations, holding safe, compassionate, and non-judgmental space.
Reproductive care and mental health counseling are healthcare. We believe healthcare choices should be between an individual and their treatment team and we wanted to share about this proposal through the mental health care lens. We encourage everyone to continue this important conversation and dig a little deeper into this proposal. Pause to consider the different possibilities for unintended harm and consequences. Ask questions and find fact-based answers. Hold empathy, compassion, and kindness for yourself and others as we navigate through this all.
