83-year-old Right to Life Michigan volunteer shot while canvassing

An octogenarian was shot in the shoulder while canvassing in Ionia County 50 days before the Nov. 8 election.

Right to Life Michigan reported an 83-year-old volunteer from Lake Odessa was shot on Tuesday last week while going door-to-door to talk about Proposal 3, a Nov. 8 ballot question asking voters if they want to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution.

A Michigan State Police press release said a woman was shot in the shoulder after an “alleged verbal altercation” while she was passing out pamphlets.

Right to Life said the woman was shot in the shoulder while leaving a residence during a heated conversation, and the man who shot her wasn’t a part of her conversation.

“The victim does not know the identity or motive of her shooter,” a Right to Life press release said. “The victim is still recovering from her gunshot wound and wishes to remain anonymous while the criminal investigation proceeds.”

Right To Life Michigan opposes Proposal 3, which, if successful, would ensure a "fundamental right" to reproductive freedom, including abortion, prenatal care, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, miscarriage management, and infertility care.

If voters approved the question, it would allow elected officials to regulate abortion after fetus “viability,” or about 23 to 24 weeks into pregnancy but not prohibit it if medically needed to protect a patient’s life or physical or mental health.

The ballot proposal gathered a record number of signatures after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, which triggered Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban. However, an injunction is keeping abortion legal in the state for the time being.

The case is being investigated by the Michigan State Police, who will forward the investigation’s results to the Ionia County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.