Right to Life Michigan says it opposes constitutional convention after DeBoyer comments on abortion

Right to Life of Michigan, the state’s foremost anti-abortion group, came out on Wednesday against convening a constitutional convention as a way to impose new abortion limits.

Amber Roseboom, president of Right to Life Michigan said Wednesday that the organization opposes a constitutional convention, which Michigan voters will consider on the Nov. 3 ballot. The statement came days after state Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township), the Republican lieutenant governor nominee and running mate to U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township), suggested that Republicans could re-introduce limits on abortion via a Michigan constitutional convention.

“While we recognize and applaud the ongoing debate around this issue, RLM is opposed to opening the state constitution to a convention at this time,” Rosboom said in a statement. “Moreover, even if a constitutional convention were to be called through passage of the question this year, any recommended changes from the delegates would go before the citizens for a popular vote before being ratified. The citizens of our state continue to hold the power. Anyone suggesting otherwise is either misinformed or being intentionally dishonest with voters”

DeBoyer’s remarks became public after The Detroit News obtained a recording from a Saturday event in Battle Creek. DeBoyer did not dispute the statement, but he walked back the sentiment, saying that the issue was “settled,” similar to language used by James in 2024 in his re-election bid for Congress, when he said, “the fact of the matter is that abortion is enshrined in our (state) constitution.”

Michigan Democrats pounced on DeBoyer’s comments in an attempt to infuse abortion policy into the 2026 election cycle even though abortion is  not explicitly on the ballot this year.

A constitutional convention to limit abortion rights? Democrats push back on DeBoyer suggestion

“Sadly, the Democrats are now using the Constitutional Convention question to wrongly suggest that abortion is on the ballot,” Roseboom said. “The Democrats have more than demonstrated they have no solution to the outsized economic strains their failed leadership has placed on Michigan families. If they care about the future of Michigan, it’s high time they focus on that.”

What is a ‘Con-Con’?

Every 16 years, the question of whether the state should rewrite its constitution appears on the ballot for voters to either approve or reject. Informally known as a “Con-Con,” the measure has automatically appeared on the state’s ballot beginning in 1978 and is enshrined in the Michigan Constitution’s Article XII, Section 3. Michigan has rejected the convening of a Con-Con for decades. The measure has appeared on ballots only three times in the state’s history — in 1978, 1994 and 2010.

What’s a Con-Con? Michigan voters will decide if they want to rewrite the constitution in 2026.

If approved in 2026, a special primary and then general election for delegates would have to be held, with one delegate elected on a partisan ballot in each of the 110 state House and 38 state Senate districts. 

The convention would then convene in October 2027, with no limit on how long it would last, although for comparison the convention that produced the current constitution began in October 1961 and lasted for 10 months before adopting a proposed constitution on Aug. 1, 1962. 

State voters then approved that document in April 1963, and it has been unchanged via a constitutional convention since, although many other amendments have been made to the state constitution through ballot measures.

Among the most notable additions to the state constitution was the issue at hand — Proposal 3 of 2022, which enshrined reproductive rights after voters approved the measure with 56% of voters casting ballots in favor and with 43% of the state’s voters against.