Michigan Candidate Says Miscarriage Led Her to Prioritize Reproductive Well being Entry
LANSING, Mich. — Could 6, 2025
Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s Secretary of State and a Democratic candidate for governor in 2026, has revealed in her upcoming memoir, The Purposeful Warrior, {that a} miscarriage she skilled eight years in the past profoundly formed her dedication to enhancing reproductive well being entry within the state. In an interview with The Related Press forward of the memoir’s launch, Benson shared how the emotional and logistical challenges of her miscarriage underscored the significance of accessible reproductive healthcare, a precedence she goals to champion if elected governor.
Benson, who’s amongst a aggressive discipline of candidates vying to succeed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, is the one lady at the moment within the race. Her private story comes at a time when reproductive well being has turn into a central situation in Michigan and nationwide, notably following the U.S. Supreme Courtroom’s 2022 resolution to overturn Roe v. Wade. That ruling spurred Michigan voters to approve a 2022 poll measure enshrining abortion rights within the state structure, a transfer that additionally helped Democrats safe a sweep in statewide and legislative elections.
“Going by a miscarriage made me understand how essential it’s to have healthcare you may depend on throughout such a weak second,” Benson instructed the AP. She described the problem of navigating medical care throughout her miscarriage and the way it deepened her resolve to make sure others in Michigan have higher entry to reproductive well being companies, together with miscarriage administration, contraception, and abortion care.
Benson’s platform emphasizes increasing reproductive healthcare, notably in underserved rural areas of Michigan. She has proposed deploying cellular clinics to succeed in distant communities, a response to the latest closure of three Deliberate Parenthood areas within the state, together with its solely facility within the Higher Peninsula. These closures, introduced by Deliberate Parenthood of Michigan (PPMI) after a federal Title X funding freeze took impact on April 30, 2025, have heightened issues about entry to companies like contraception, illness screenings, and miscarriage care.
“Rural Michigan faces distinctive challenges relating to healthcare entry,” Benson stated. “Cellular clinics might bridge that hole, bringing important companies to individuals who would possibly in any other case should journey hours or go with out care.” She additionally highlighted the necessity to defend Michigan’s constitutional abortion rights whereas addressing affordability and accessibility, noting that packages like Title X and Medicaid are important for sustaining equitable healthcare entry.
Benson’s openness about her miscarriage displays a broader pattern amongst girls in politics who’ve shared private experiences with being pregnant loss and reproductive well being to advocate for coverage adjustments. Because the Dobbs resolution, each Democratic and Republican candidates have more and more mentioned their pregnancies to attach with voters involved about maternal and reproductive healthcare. In Michigan, the place abortion stays a galvanizing situation, Benson’s story is more likely to resonate with many.
Nevertheless, her marketing campaign faces challenges. The Title X funding freeze and federal cuts to reproductive well being packages, together with the elimination of two branches within the CDC’s Division of Reproductive Well being, sign a troublesome highway forward for advocates of expanded healthcare entry. Moreover, Benson’s opponents within the gubernatorial race could body the problem in another way, with some emphasizing state-level protections already in place.
As Benson campaigns, she stays centered on her imaginative and prescient for a Michigan the place reproductive healthcare is accessible to all. “Nobody ought to should face what I did with out the assist and assets they want,” she stated. “That is about ensuring each Michigander could make their very own selections about their well being and their future.”
The Purposeful Warrior is ready to be launched on Could 6, 2025, and is predicted to offer additional perception into Benson’s private and political journey. Her marketing campaign continues to realize consideration as Michigan prepares for a high-stakes gubernatorial race in 2026.
