Right to Life volunteer shot, Michigan State Police investigate
LAKE ODESSA, Mich. — A volunteer for an anti-abortion group was shot following an argument while canvassing door-to-door about the November ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in Michigan, police said.
The 83-year-old woman, a Right to Life volunteer, was shot in the back and shoulder while passing out pamphlets after an alleged verbal altercation in Lake Odessa in Ionia County Tuesday afternoon, Michigan State Police said.
The woman was talking to local residents about Prop 3, which will be on the Nov. 8 ballot to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution.
The woman was shot by a man who was not apart of the conversation, according to Right to Life of Michigan, a nonprofit organization opposing abortion that describes itself as a nonpartisan and nonsectarian, according to its website.
The female drove herself to the Lake Odessa Police Department to report the incident. She was treated and released from the hospital, police said.
The woman does not know the identity or motive of the shooter, according to a news release from Right to Life.
Police did not release any information about the alleged shooter.
Michigan State Police are investigating the incident and will submit its findings to the Ionia County Prosecuting Attorney's Office to determine possible criminal charges.
The Reproductive Freedom for All ballot petition, which gathered a record number of signatures to make the ballot, would amend Michigan's constitution to make abortion access a right in the state.
Michigan residents currently have access to abortion, due to court rulings blocking enforcement of the state's 1931 abortion ban.