(The Center Square) – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed 16 different bills this week related to contraception and maternity care.
Whitmer applauded the bills, which were all sponsored by Democrats, for further protecting “everyone’s fundamental freedom to make their own decisions about their own body.”
These come after Michigan voted in 2022 to make abortion access a constitutional right through all nine months, a decision which also removed all of the restrictions on abortion on the books at that time.
The legislation passed this week includes expanding access to contraception, including a bill which allows pharmacists to directly prescribe and dispense contraceptives to patients.
Previously, a woman would first have to see her doctor.
“These bills will save women time and money so they can access the birth control they need and cut unnecessary red tape that stands between people and their health care,” Whitmer said.
As a part of the other legislation Whitmer signed, the state is creating a doula scholarship program, requiring insurances to cover the cost of blood pressure monitors for pregnant women, and no longer requiring regular HIV testing for breast milk donors.
In addition to those 16 bills, Michigan has also begun offering taxpayer-funded contraception through the Take Control of Your Birth Control program.
Services that are offered at the more than 340 locations statewide include over-the-counter oral birth control pills, emergency contraception, condoms and educational information.
Provided via the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the program is available to anyone regardless of income or health insurance status.
“To date, MDHHS has shipped 34,300 doses of emergency contraceptive, 34,300 doses of oral birth control pills and 171,500 condoms,” the department recently reported. “The department is preparing to deploy a second shipment that could provide resources to more than 25,000 additional individuals.”
The program was funded in the fiscal year 2025 budget, which allocated “$5.6 million to expand contraceptive coverage and family planning services.”
