Latest news with #LauriePohutsky
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan Capitol security under review after Ted Nugent brings gun through detector
LANSING — Rock musician and outdoorsman Ted Nugent brought a prohibited gun through Capitol security when he testified before a committee June 25, officials said. Some observers noticed Nugent appeared to be armed when he testified before the House Natural Resources and Tourism Committee in opposition to certain state hunting regulations. State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, D-Livonia, a member of a House Oversight subcommittee that was meeting jointly with the natural resources committee, said in a June 26 post on Instagram that "pretty early on" in Nugent's testimony "we recognized that he was carrying a gun." Members flagged House sergeants, who took no immediate action, Pohutsky said. She said she decided to post on social media about the incident because she wants answers as to what happened and assurances the issue of Capitol security is being taken seriously. "It's obviously not acceptable," she said. Shanon Banner, a spokeswoman for the MSP, said June 27 that Nugent was screened at the north entrance of the Capitol June 25 by walking through weapons detection equipment that all visitors are required to pass through. "The weapons detection system functioned correctly and alerted to a possible weapon; however, the trooper staffing the entry point did not see the alert until after Mr. Nugent left the screening area," Banner said. "Upon completing his meeting, MSP personnel contacted Mr. Nugent and notified him of the weapons policy," Banner said. "We are still evaluating how the weapons detection alert was missed and will be following up to ensure this does not happen again." The MSP security failure occurred as MSP Col. James Grady, who is facing criticism from troopers, command officers and Republican lawmakers over a number of issues, is expected to testify July 1 before the House Oversight Committee, in connection with the committee's investigation into MSP leadership, according to Rep. Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Township, the committee chairman. Under rules set by the Michigan Capitol Commission in 2021 and 2023, carrying firearms is mostly banned in the Capitol, with a few exceptions for law enforcement, security and sitting lawmakers with concealed carry permits. A phone message and email left June 27 with Nugent's Michigan office seeking comment were not immediately returned. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ted Nugent brings gun into Michigan Capitol
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Following Trump pardons of anti-abortion protestors, Pohutsky introduces clinic obstruction bills
Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) speaks ahead of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signing the last bill in the Reproductive Health Act in Lansing on Dec. 11, 2023. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols) After 23 people convicted of obstructing access to reproductive health care clinics received federal pardons from President Donald Trump in January, Michigan House Democrats are introducing legislation to create criminal penalties for such action in state law. The anti-abortion protestors, several of which were from Michigan, were charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE Act, a federal law that criminalizes obstruction or threats of force with the goal of interfering with access to reproductive health care services. With Trump offering the pardons and his administration directing federal prosecutors in January to ease up on enforcement, directing authorities outside of 'extraordinary circumstances' to address actions using local laws. As the future of the FACE Act is unsure, Michigan state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) said she introduced a state version last week in order to preserve protections for patients seeking out reproductive health care and the employees who help offer such services. House Bills 4133 and 4134, would ban individuals from restricting people's physical movement or threatening bodily harm as they attempt to obtain or provide services from facilities offering reproductive health care. 'If you end up feeling too intimidated or physically cannot get into the building because someone is blocking you from doing so, that can be disastrous for the care you're looking to seek,' Pohutsky said. 'It also makes staff and providers feel unsafe… so then there's an access issue on that front as well.' There already is a clear need in Michigan to ensure the safe access to reproductive health care, Pohutsky said, noting anti-abortion protests in Sterling Heights in 2020 and Saginaw in 2021 where several individuals were charged for preventing patients from receiving health care. Several individuals were found guilty in federal court in August of 2024, for illegally blockading the Sterling Heights reproductive health care facility, 'without regard to the serious medical needs of the women they blocked from accessing reproductive health care,' Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a news release in 2024. In one instance, the protestors physically obstructed a woman whose fetus experienced fatal abnormalities and the group's actions 'posed a grave and real threat to her health and fertility' Clarke said. Two of the individuals convicted in the Sterling Heights incident were also convicted in the Saginaw incident where in 2021 one of them sat in front the entrance to the clinic with a doorstop wedged under the door so it couldn't be opened from the inside, while the other used a bicycle lock to chain themselves in front of another door. Under the proposed legislation criminal penalties range from a six month misdemeanor to life in prison, should the obstruction or interference result in a death. The bills were referred to the House's Government Operations Committee where bills typically go to die, but Pohutsky said the legislation would cover so-called 'pregnancy crisis centers' which operate to offer alternatives to abortion services, often run by pro-life groups, so she's hopeful the legislation could be considered by the House's Republican majority. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Death threats follow Michigan Democratic lawmaker's decision to have herself sterilized
Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) speaks ahead of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signing the last bill in the Reproductive Health Act in Lansing on Dec. 11, 2023. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols) Michigan state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) said she's received death threats after revealing during a rally last week that she underwent voluntary sterilization because she was concerned about the future of reproductive health care during President Donald Trump's second term in office. Pohutsky's comments during a '50501 Movement' rally in Lansing last week quickly spread across the internet, including among right wing media circles. The rally was part of a national movement that aimed to hold 50 protests in 50 states on one day. 'I refuse to let my body be treated as currency by an administration that only sees value in my ability to procreate,' Pohutsky said during the rally, emphasizing that 'a sitting government official opted for voluntary sterilization because she was uncertain she would be able to access contraception in the future.' Pohutsky's social media profiles were quickly bombarded with hostile comments. In one voicemail left with her office, a caller says that 'godless people' are going to be 'eliminated' and warns Pohutsky that she is 'on notice.' Some of the threats have been referred to law enforcement to investigate, Pohutsky said. Pohutsky said that U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) reached out to her after the speech gained traction online, noting that Tlaib is no stranger to viral moments or receiving threats. The speech also garnered the attention of conservatives on a national level, including Ben Shapiro, who said of Pohutsky, 'So many broken people.' The fourth-term House member responded to Shapiro, saying 'I think the broken people are the ones who are personally aggrieved by my personal health care decision.' Pohutsky said she and her husband decided last year that they were done having children and began exploring options for more permanent forms of birth control, citing her concern after Trump won the election about being able to continue to access the contraception she had been using. After exploring surgical options with her doctor in November, the surgery was booked for January. Pohutsky said she nearly delayed the procedure because the House scheduled votes for that day, but decided to keep the Jan. 23 appointment when Trump 'pretty much immediately started signing executive orders that didn't have the force of law, but that institutions were complying with as though they did.' 'I had released a statement the day after the surgery explaining why I missed the vote and did not describe the surgery, because, frankly, it's my own business,' Pothusky said. But in the weeks between the surgery and the rally last week, Pohutsky said she spoke with several people who were exploring similar options or had already undergone the procedure and faced similar conversations about whether their concerns about being able to access the procedure in the future were valid. 'I think that, in particular, women second guess themselves a lot,' Pohutsky said. 'And I thought there was value in hearing from an elected official who is sort of in a position of authority … and hearing some validation from them.' That led to her decision to share her story on the steps of the Michigan Capitol, garnering applause from the hundreds of protesters in attendance. While Pohutsky said she did not expect the level of animosity in response to the speech, she said even the negative reactions have only reaffirmed her decision. 'The negative reaction has actually made me feel much more secure and validated in my choice to undergo the procedure and the timing with which I did it,' Pohutsky said. Not all of the reactions have been negative, Pohutsky said, adding that she has heard from people who already underwent the procedure, had just scheduled it or were still exploring it. 'There's a lot of noise, there's a lot of negativity, but the message that I was trying to get across did resonate with some people and has made it worth it,' Pohutsky said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
