Lansing, MI (LifeNews.com) -- As expected, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed the partial-birth abortion ban on Friday. She said she vetoed the bill because it doesn't have a health exception, even though the three-day-long abortion procedure is never necessary to protect the health of the mother.

The language of the state ban mirrored the federal ban Congress approved and that the Supreme Court upheld as constitutional.

That measure didn't have a health exception either and the high court noted abortions cause both physical and mental health problems for women.

Now that Granholm has vetoed the bill, the state legislature needs a two-thirds vote to override the veto.

The legislature sent Granholm the ban after the Senate backed it on a bipartisan 24 to 13 vote and the House 72-34. While the House would easily be able to do that, the Senate is five votes short from having enough to make the ban law.

Michigan Catholic Conference Vice President for Public Policy Paul Long told LifeNews.com that Governor Granholm showed continued indifference to human life" with her latest veto.

"Considering similar federal legislation has been held constitutional by
the U.S. Supreme Court, the Governor's veto exhibits a continued
indifference toward and deliberate lack of respect for the preciousness of human life," Long said.

"Regardless of how SB 776 reached her desk, the governor had the
opportunity to rise above internal legislative quarrels and sign a bill
that provides maximum protection for those facing a most horrific fate," he added.

Long promise that pro-life groups like the Catholic Conference, Right to Life and others would continue to press for a partial-birth abortion ban.

"Despite this veto, the vibrant and bipartisan pro-life community in
Michigan will continue to fight relentlessly for the dignity of women and
the human rights of the unborn as those who cling to baseless policy
slogans become more isolated," he concluded.

Right to Life of Michigan added that "Governor Granholm is the only thing standing in the way of a Michigan ban on partial birth abortion."

The measure, Senate Bill 776, is designed to mirror the federal partial-birth abortion ban and is needed, backers say, so state and local law enforcement can make sure the prohibition is enforced.

In October 2003, Governor Granholm vetoed Senate Bill 395, the "Legal Birth Definition Act," which sought to outlaw partial-birth abortion by granting full legal status to the child as soon as any part of his or her body emerges from the mother.

The new Michigan partial-birth abortion ban calls the procedure "gruesome and inhumane" and says its "disturbing similarity to the killing of a newborn infant promotes a complete disregard for infant human life that can only be countered by a prohibition."

ACTION: Contact Gov. Jennifer Granholm and ask her to sign the partial-birth abortion ban into law. Contact her at: P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, MI 48909, (p) (517) 373-3400 or (517) 335-7858 or fax 517-335-6863. You can also click here for additional contact information.

Related web sites:
Michigan Catholic Conference - http://www.micatholicconference.org

Right to Life of Michigan - http://www.rtl.org