Gov. Snyder vetoes anti-abortion license plate

Paul Egan | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption U.S. abortion rate at lowest level since Roe v. Wade A report by the Guttmacher Institute recorded a rate of 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age in 2014.

LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder said Friday he has vetoed legislation requiring Michigan to create and sell an anti-abortion fund-raising license plate.

Snyder said in a news release that the plate sends a "political message" with the potential to "bitterly divide" millions of residents. He said it's inappropriate for a state-issued plate.

The legislation, Senate Bill 163, "is not about a license plate; it's about the State of Michigan making a political statement," Snyder said. "And that statement arouses strong emotional reaction that divides the residents of this state."

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, said Snyder's action is "disgraceful."

He said the governor had voiced objections about the cost of the new plate but Colbeck had assured him money had been raised to cover it and that there would be no additional expense to the state.

"The only way a message to 'Choose Life' is divisive is if you buy into the idea that 'Choose Death' is an acceptable message," Colbeck told the Free Press.

Colbeck said he thought there were enough votes in the Senate to override Snyder's veto, but not in the state House.

"We need a new governor," said Colbeck, who is expected to run for the office and said he will make a major announcement July 22.

Snyder is term-limited and can't run again in 2018. This was the third veto of Snyder's second term, which began in 2015, and his 50th since he took office in 2011, spokeswoman Anna Heaton said. Snyder has worked with Republican majorities in both chambers while in office.

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan put out a statement acknowledging Snyder's action on its Facebook page. "Women's health care should not be political and Gov. Snyder agrees," the group said. "Join us in thanking him for this."

Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, praised Snyder's action and said she appreciated his veto message stressing how divisive such a state-sponsored plate could be.

"He took the issue apart and took the time to understand it," said Warren, who signed a letter from the Progressive Women's Caucus in the Legislature requesting the veto. "You can buy a bumper sticker or wear a T-shirt," but "Choose Life" should not appear on state license plates, she said.

The bill approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature would have required a "Choose Life" plate to be issued within a year. The money would have gone to a fund whose board is controlled by Right to Life of Michigan, which has long lobbied for the license plate. The board would have dispersed grants to nonprofits, including crisis pregnancy centers and those promoting "life-affirming programs and projects."

Right to Life of Michigan said on Twitter that the fight is not over.

"This plate will happen in Michigan," the organization tweeted. "We'll work with the next governor to get it done."

Barbara Listing, the group's president, said in a news release that Right to Life had hoped Snyder "would recognize this wonderful opportunity to provide care to pregnant women in need and help suicide-prevention efforts."

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, who is also expected to seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2018, "respects the governor’s decision, but he did support the legislation," spokeswoman Laura Biehl said.

And Attorney General Bill Schuette, another expected GOP candidate for governor, said on Twitter that he was disappointed by the veto. "The voluntary contributions would have supported many Michigan families," he said.

State Rep. Rose Mary Robinson, D-Detroit, who voted against the legislation, said she agrees that a political message is not appropriate on a state-issued license plate and she's not surprised Snyder vetoed the measure.

Robinson said she finds Snyder to be "squishy" on social issues and in rejecting measures passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature, but "he maybe just flipped a coin" in deciding whether or not to veto the bill.

A Senate Fiscal Agency analysis said there would be a start-up cost of $15,000 over three years, which would be paid by the Choose Life Michigan Fund proposed in the legislation.

Snyder has signed legislation that restricts abortion in the past. Notably, in 2012, he signed legislation to regulate abortion clinics as hospital operating rooms — a move critics said would particularly restrict access to abortion in rural areas. But at the same time, Snyder vetoed a bill requiring residents who want health insurance coverage for abortions to buy an extra policy, citing concerns about government overreach and no exceptions for rape, incest or health. GOP legislators later bypassed Snyder and enacted a similar law through a Right to Life-backed citizens’ initiative.

"I think part of what we can take from this is: Don't try to pigeonhole this governor on any one issue," said John Truscott, a Lansing-based public relations consultant who was the press secretary to former Republican Gov. John Engler.

Truscott said relations between Snyder and the Legislature are sensitive right now as Snyder tries to get his Good Jobs business incentive package passed over opposition from Republicans in the state House.

"I'm sure it happened on a Friday for a reason," said Truscott. "Take the controversial stuff, get it over with and then move on."

It's conventional wisdom that news released on a Friday, particularly a Friday afternoon, tends to get less public attention.

Michigan currently has fund-raising plates for public universities and 14 special causes such as breast cancer awareness that cost drivers $35 initially and $10 each time they are renewed.



Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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