¶ Michigan's 1931 Law
[AUDIO] DePerno Said He Would Enforce Michigan’s Abortion Ban With No Exceptions. In a speech at a Farmington Area Republicans meeting, DePerno said, “100% pro-life without exception and I am endorsed by the Heartbeat Coalition in Michigan. […] I will use every power that I have as Attorney General to make sure we protect life of the unborn and we will end these radical attempts like Gretchen Whitmer’s right now trying to declare the 1931 law that is currently on the books.” [Matthew DePerno, Farmington Area Republicans, 4/07/22]
DePerno Said He Would Uphold Michigan’s 1931 Ban On Abortion. According to Bridge Michigan, “Her presumed opponent in the November election, Matthew DePerno, said he was ‘thrilled’ by the [Dobbs] decision and will uphold the 1931 ban on abortion. ‘It is deeply troubling that Dana Nessel pledged to not enforce the opinion of the Supreme Court even before their announcement this morning,’ he said in a statement. ‘We cannot have an attorney general who believes she is better than the Supreme Court and the law.’” [Bridge Michigan, 6/24/22]
DePerno Said It Was “Deeply Troubling” That Dana Nessel Had Pledged Not To Enforce Abortion Ban. According to Bridge Michigan, “Her presumed opponent in the November election, Matthew DePerno, said he was ‘thrilled’ by the [Dobbs] decision and will uphold the 1931 ban on abortion. ‘It is deeply troubling that Dana Nessel pledged to not enforce the opinion of the Supreme Court even before their announcement this morning,’ he said in a statement. ‘We cannot have an attorney general who believes she is better than the Supreme Court and the law.’” [Bridge Michigan, 6/24/22]
DePerno Said, “We Cannot Have An Attorney General Who Believes She Is Better Than The Supreme Court And The Law.” According to Bridge Michigan, “Her presumed opponent in the November election, Matthew DePerno, said he was ‘thrilled’ by the [Dobbs] decision and will uphold the 1931 ban on abortion. ‘It is deeply troubling that Dana Nessel pledged to not enforce the opinion of the Supreme Court even before their announcement this morning,’ he said in a statement. ‘We cannot have an attorney general who believes she is better than the Supreme Court and the law.’” [Bridge Michigan, 6/24/22]
DePerno Praised County Prosecutors Who Planned To Enforce Michigan’s 1931 Abortion Ban, Vowed To Do The Same If Elected. According to Bridge Michigan, “Republican attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno on Monday evening praised county prosecutors preparing to enforce the 1931 ban, calling it a ‘good thing to see’ while vowing to do the same if he defeats Nessel in November. ‘We will enforce the 1931 law unless it's modified or changed by the state Legislature,’ DePerno said in a Zoom call with fellow Republicans. The petition drive Nessel supports is ‘sneaky and something we've got to defeat very quickly’ because it would also undermine other existing abortion regulations, he argued” [Bridge Michigan, 6/27/22]
DePerno Said He Would “Enforce The 1931 Law Unless It's Modified Or Changed By The State Legislature.” According to Bridge Michigan, “Republican attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno on Monday evening praised county prosecutors preparing to enforce the 1931 ban, calling it a ‘good thing to see’ while vowing to do the same if he defeats Nessel in November. ‘We will enforce the 1931 law unless it's modified or changed by the state Legislature,’ DePerno said in a Zoom call with fellow Republicans. The petition drive Nessel supports is ‘sneaky and something we've got to defeat very quickly’ because it would also undermine other existing abortion regulations, he argued” [Bridge Michigan, 6/27/22]
¶ Reaction to Dobbs
DePerno: “I Join With All Who Value Life And Am Hopeful For Roe v Wade To be Overturned.” According to a tweet from Matthew DePerno,
[Matthew DePerno, @deperno4mi, 5/02/22]
DePerno Said He Was “Thrilled” By Supreme Court Decision To Overturn Roe v. Wade. According to Bridge Michigan, “Her presumed opponent in the November election, Matthew DePerno, said he was ‘thrilled’ by the [Dobbs] decision and will uphold the 1931 ban on abortion. ‘It is deeply troubling that Dana Nessel pledged to not enforce the opinion of the Supreme Court even before their announcement this morning,’ he said in a statement. ‘We cannot have an attorney general who believes she is better than the Supreme Court and the law.’” [Bridge Michigan, 6/24/22]
DePerno Celebrated Supreme Court Dobbs Decision, Said “We Finally Have A Law That Upholds The Lives Of All Americans – Born And Unborn.” According to DePerno’s Twitter, “Matt DePerno's Statement on Roe v Wade Being Overturned”
[Twitter, @deperno4mi, 6/24/22]
DePerno Claimed “Roe Was Never On Solid Legal Ground.” According to DePerno’s Twitter, “Roe was never on solid legal grounds. The decision now comes to each state legislature. My opponent is extreme on the issue of life, advocating for partial birth abortion up to the date of delivery. People have been given back the right to decide through their elected reps” [Twitter, @mdeperno, 6/24/22]
DePerno Tweeted, “Nobody Is Coming After Birth Control Or Sexual Positions,” Following Dobbs Decision. According to DePerno’s Twitter, “My opponent wants to run a campaign of fear. Nobody is coming after birth control or sexual positions. It is an absurd statement and demonstrates she is not a serious person, unfit for office, and puts politics over the Constitution. She is drunk on power.” Quote Tweet Dana Nessel @dananessel “Been predicting this for years. SCOTUS & the Republicans are coming next for your birth control, the sexual positions you can engage in with another consenting adult (in Michigan-missionary only) & your same-sex marriage. Still not interested in the November elections?” [Twitter @mdeperno, 6/24/22]
¶ Exceptions
DePerno Opposed Exceptions To Abortion Bans And Claimed “Life Begins At Conception.” According to Bridge Michigan, “DePerno said he would enforce the 1931 ban if Roe is overturned. During a recent forum, he called the 1972 ruling that made abortion legal nationwide ‘complete and total nonsense.’ He opposes exceptions to a ban, which can include an abortion to save the mother’s life or in cases of pregnancies caused by rape or incest. In May, he questioned whether there were instances in which a mother's life would be in danger from a viable pregnancy. ‘Real conservatives… understand that life begins at conception,’ he has said.” [Bridge Michigan, 6/24/22]
Jun. 2022: DePerno Claimed He Agreed “With The Exception [To Abortion Bans] To Save The Life Of The Mother.” According to DePerno’s Twitter, “My opponent must have had a rough night and is clearly hung over after binging on Jameson’s. She continues to misstate my position. I agree with the exception to save the life of the mother. But she is drunk on power.” Quote Tweet Dana Nessel @dananessel 6/25/22 “My opponent, running to be the top law enforcement officer of this state, opposes any exception to prosecuting abortion, including rape, incest, or to save the life of the woman. How is this position ‘pro-life’? Women are not incubators. They are people. https://t.co/HO5XRNxapk” [Twitter, @mdeperno, 6/25/22]
DePerno Questioned Whether Viable Pregnancies Could Threaten A Mother’s Life. According to Bridge Michigan, “DePerno said he would enforce the 1931 ban if Roe is overturned. During a recent forum, he called the 1972 ruling that made abortion legal nationwide ‘complete and total nonsense.’ He opposes exceptions to a ban, which can include an abortion to save the mother’s life or in cases of pregnancies caused by rape or incest. In May, he questioned whether there were instances in which a mother's life would be in danger from a viable pregnancy. ‘Real conservatives… understand that life begins at conception,’ he has said.” [Bridge Michigan, 6/24/22]
¶ Abortion, Generally
DePerno Accused Nessel Of Supporting “Partial Birth Abortions.” According to DePerno’s Twitter, “My opponent quotes the left leaning content creator Bridge to misstate my position. Dana Nessel supports abortion on demand, at any time, for any reason, aka partial birth abortions. @dananessel will you stand with me and publicly oppose partial birth abortion?” Quote Tweet Dana Nessel @DanaNessel 6/27/22 “‘[DePerno] opposes exceptions to a ban... to save the mother’s life or in cases of pregnancies caused by rape or incest. 'Real conservatives… understand that life begins at conception,' he said.’ He can't wait to prosecute Michiganders based on his regressive personal beliefs.” [Twitter, @mdeperno, 6/27/22]
¶ Contraception
DePerno Supported Overturning Griswold V. Connecticut. According to Michigan Advance, “It may have been the last question of last week’s debate for the three men seeking the GOP nomination for Michigan attorney general, but the inquiry seeking their stances on a 1965 Supreme Court ruling has garnered the most attention. The question concerned the high court’s decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, a landmark decision that struck down Connecticut’s ban on the sale of contraception. Citing a “right to marital privacy,” Griswold helped to pave the way for 1973’s Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion that many experts expect will be overturned or gutted by the right-wing-majority Supreme Court this year. However, at Friday night’s forum at Alpena Community College, all three candidates — Former House Speaker Tom Leonard (R-DeWitt), state Rep. Ryan Berman (R-Commerce Twp) and Kalamazoo-based attorney Matthew DePerno, indicated they thought the issue was wrongly decided and trampled on states’ rights. [,…] DePerno then continued, saying that the Griswold and Roe decisions were states’ right issues and predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court would rule that 'the privacy issue currently is unworkable.' DePerno, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and is known for espousing conspiracy theories, then finished with a flourish. ‘We need to start defending state rights as attorney generals, across this country,’ he said. ‘Too many people, even in our own party, too many people have lost the idea of what states’ rights means. They haven’t read the works of our Founding Fathers. They haven’t read The Federalist Papers. They continue to push the idea that we need to give rights away to the federal government. We don’t. We need to take state rights back. We need to stand in our borders. When the feds come and try to take our rights, we need to stand as citizens in Michigan and hold the line and protect states’ rights.’" [Michigan Advance, 2/20/22]