Unbelievable.

Today marks the 35th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion for women in the U.S. Today also marks the day that our state Senate passed the fourth attempt at banning abortion procedures in Michigan. The Senate bill mimics a federal law that is already in place--just in case federal prosecutors get too busy to make their own prosecutions.

While our elected officials should be worried about more important things, like the economy and state budget, they are busy fretting over an abortion procedure that is not even used in Michigan. Need proof? The Michigan Department of Community Health tracks abortions by procedure here. None of the nine "other procedures" was reported to be a dilation and extraction.

On January 7 of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court issued orders denying the appeals of the third unsuccessful attempt by the state of Michigan since 1996 to ban certain abortion procedures. You read that right--the third time the court struck down an unconstitutional state law since 1996.

Our elected officials seem to be obsessed with abortion. This most recent bill was introduced in the midst of last fall's heated budget crisis. The Legislature remains ready to drop everything for the opportunity to chip away at our rights. Let's remember this when the November election rolls around.