Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel warned on Sunday that Republican-led states would start investigating and prosecuting abortion providers and abortion patients if Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court, reports The Hill. Nessel, a Democrat, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that while she would “refuse to enforce laws that would endanger” women’s health, she believes conservative leaders will criminalize abortion care, which could include the prosecution of doctors as well as women who take abortion pills. “We’re talking about not just throwing providers and anybody who works for the provider under aiding and abetting theories in prison but also women themselves who procured abortion through abortion medication,” Nessel said. “It’s a really scary set of circumstances for women here in Michigan.”
About 23 states have abortion bans that would go into effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned, while some, such as Oklahoma and Texas, have passed laws that would criminalize abortion and make providing it a felony. Michigan has a law banning abortions and making it a felony to perform the procedure that would go into effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Nessel has warned that county prosecutors could still enforce the law even if she doesn’t. Nessel warned that doctors and abortion providers will “be so afraid” if the court precedent is overturned. She called on Democrats to codify abortion rights into state law. A draft opinion by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito calls on the court to reverse Roe v. Wade in a pending Mississippi case.