(Source: MIRS.news, Published 11/03/2022) The former wife of Justice Brian Zahra told NBC News that he paid to abort their pregnancy when they were dating 39 years ago, which arguably conflicts with his decision to keep the proposed abortion constitutional amendment, Proposal 3, off the ballot earlier this year.
Alyssa Jones said the abortion happened when she was 20, a college sophomore, and he was 23 and a year away from enrolling in law school. She said she was grateful to have had the option available to them back then.
Jones told NBC News that he drove her to the abortion clinic twice, once to confirm the pregnancy and once for the abortion.
"I do remember talking during the procedure, saying, 'You know, we just need to finish school, we're not ready to have a family, we need to finish school."
The story comes five days prior to Zahra's re-election bid and was quickly picked up by the Michigan Democratic Party, which called Zahra hypocritical. He was with the minority in voting to keep the abortion proposal off the ballot because the text of Reproductive Freedom For All seemed to run together, making it illegible.
"As a wordsmith and a member of Michigan's court of last resort, a court that routinely scrutinizes in great detail the words used in statutes and constitutional provisions, I find it an unremarkable proposition that spaces between words matter," Zahra wrote at the time.
Michigan's law regarding abortion post-Dobbs is a 1931 law that makes abortion illegal except in cases to save the life of the mother. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is challenging the constitutionality of that law and she's won in court up to this point.
If Proposal 3 didn't make the ballot or doesn't pass, it's highly likely Zahra will get a chance to weigh in on Whitmer's suit.
"It's the height of hypocrisy that Justice Brian Zahra would use his position to restrict access to abortion except when it benefits his life and career," said Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes. "Zahra is happy to go along with restricting access to abortion for women in Michigan when it comes with gobs of contributions from anti-choice organizations for his campaign, but it's a different story when it comes to his personal life."
Zahra didn't dispute Jones' account in a statement released this evening.
"As a rule of law jurist for more than 27 years, nearly 12 years on the Michigan Supreme Court, I have never allowed my personal opinions or my personal life to cloud my interpretation of law. This is a commitment I have made to Michiganders and one I have not, and will not, break as I continue to serve our state. Because of this, I will not discuss personal matters or political points of view publicly.”
