Doe v. Department of Social Services

A statute which became law as the result of a vote of the people of Michigan prohibits the use of public funds to pay for an abortion unless the abortion is necessary to save the moth*657er’s life. We are required to decide whether that statute, § 109a of the Social Welfare Act,1 violates the equal protection guarantee of the Michigan Constitution.2 The trial court, following related decisions of the United States Supreme Court, found no constitutional violation.3 A divided panel of the Court of Appeals then reversed. The majority found that Michigan’s Equal Protection Clause offers greater…