HB 4787 is commonsense legislation which will make it illegal to coerce a woman into an abortion against her will. This is a legislation both prolifers and those in favor of legal abortion should favor. If you claim to be “pro-choice,” shouldn’t you be in favor of making it illegal to coerce a woman into abortion?
And yet, 43 members of the Michigan House voted no on this legislation on March 24, 2016, including recently elected Representative David LaGrand.
LaGrand wasn’t always in favor of legal abortion. When LaGrand ran for Michigan State Senate in 2006, he identified as a “pro-life Democrat.” When he ran for State Senate again in 2010, he met Right to Life of Michigan PAC’s endorsement criteria along with his opponent in that race, current State Senator David Hildenbrand. LaGrand was also endorsed by Right to Life of Michigan PAC when he ran for and won a seat on the Grand Rapids City Commission in 2007.
In 2006, David LaGrand did at least two interviews in which he elaborated on being a prolife Democrat. In the October 6, 2006 issue of the Calvin Chimes (the student paper at Calvin College), LaGrand said he was “emphatically pro-life” and that the “pro-choice position” of the Democratic Party “doesn’t limit it.” He also discussed his faith and said, “Most Calvinists and reformers are pro-life, and I am too.” The Christian Reformed Church has a prolife position on abortion which “calls believers to speak out against the atrocity of abortion, to promote action and legislation that reflect the teaching of Scripture regarding the sanctity of human life.”
In an interview posted on April 20, 2006 on the Michigan Liberal blog, LaGrand said, “Now, I am pro-life, and my Christian commitment holds me to that.”
What happened to the 2006-2010 version of David LaGrand? That guy claimed his “family and faith taught (him) the sanctity of human life” and promised to “defend those who can’t defend themselves.”
The 2016 version of David LaGrand is voting against legislation to stop women from being coerced into abortion. Maybe the 2006-2010 version of David LaGrand is still around. Maybe he’ll come back someday.
