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Michigan Democrats move to protect reproductive health data before GOP takes control of House

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Michigan Democrats move to protect reproductive health data before GOP takes control of House


LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Democrats are pushing this month to pass legislation they say will improve reproductive health care, in particular the safety of digital health data, ahead of Republicans taking over the state House in 2025.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is backing a bill designed to protect reproductive health data including data logged on menstrual cycle tracking apps. Similar legislation that has passed in other states is aimed at keeping the data from being used to target people seeking abortions.

“This feels like a very urgent need for us to get this done while we have a window in Michigan with the Democratic majority for the next few weeks,” said state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, sponsor of the digital privacy bill.

The rush is a reaction to expectations that it will be harder to pass the reproductive health care policies Democrats favor after Republicans take control of the state House in January. Democrats kept control of the state Senate in the November election.

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Republicans have opposed the digital privacy bill over a section they say will stifle anti-abortion advertising.

Other reproductive health bills to be considered during the December session that began Tuesday include a package on Black maternal health and an expansion of access to birth control.

After the overturn of Roe v. Wade, some women in states with strict abortion bans began to worry that their health information could be used to track their reproductive status. Apps that track menstrual cycles became a major focus point.

Abortion is constitutionally protected in Michigan. But McMorrow does not trust President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promise to veto any possible national abortion ban nor his campaign’s efforts to distance itself from Project 2025, which proposed a rollback on abortion and contraception access.

Period tracking apps allow women to take detailed day-by-day notes about their health, from how heavy their period flow is to additional symptoms such as cramping. They can log pregnancies and miscarriages.

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“These tools are really valuable,” McMorrow said. “I just want to make sure that the guardrails are there when indications from the incoming federal administration is they would potentially weaponize the data in a way that is very dangerous.”

Federal law bars medical providers from sharing health data without a patient’s consent but doesn’t prevent digital tech companies from tracking menstrual cycles or an individual’s location and selling it to data brokers. Legislation for federal bans have never gained momentum, largely because of opposition from the tech industry.

How the legislation works varies from state to state. Washington state has digital privacy law that broadly covers all health-related data while Virginia has a law that explicitly prohibits the issuance of search warrants, subpoenas or court orders for electronic or digital menstrual health data.

Michigan’s proposal would require businesses or organizations to use reproductive health data only for the services it provides, and consumers must be informed of how the data is being used. In order to sell that data, an entity would need explicit, signed consent from the consumer. Consumers would also have the option to opt out from their data being sold at any time.

It would also regulate retailers, who often compile data to target consumers with advertisements, and the use of geofencing, which allows marketers to target consumers with ads based on their location.

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The bill would prohibit identifying who is receiving reproductive health care by using location information and targeting them with advertisements. This would apply to people visiting fertility or abortion clinics.

The geofencing provision of the bill has drawn objection from anti-abortion advocates. Genevieve Marnon, legislative director for Right to Life of Michigan, said in committee testimony Tuesday that the bill would prevent women visiting an abortion clinic from being reached by anti-abortion ads.

“This isn’t safeguarding women’s reproductive health data,” she said. “It is limiting the options presented to women.”

Republican Sen. John Damoose, who voted against the bill in committee, believes the geofencing provision encroaches on freedom of speech and religion by preventing anti-abortion advertising.

The bill was voted out of committee Tuesday on party lines and advanced Thursday toward a final vote in the Senate chamber.

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Kimya Forouzan, principal state policy director at the Guttmacher Institute, expects the topic to be taken up by other state legislatures next year. Guttmacher, which supports abortion rights, tracks reproductive health trends.

Over the past two years, Michigan Democrats have passed bills repealing a number of anti-abortion laws, including the state’s 1931 ban, and adding surrogacy protections to state law. Lawmakers are considering a number of others related to reproductive health this month.

A group of bills focused on improving maternal health for Black women would create a doula scholarship, among other measures. The Senate voted its package on the topic through to the House on Tuesday.

Rep. Jaime Churches, a Democrat from the downriver area of Detroit who lost her seat in November, is trying to gain traction for two bills that would require insurance to cover fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination.

Three bills seeking to expand access to birth control through insurance have passed the state House. McMorrow also introduced a series of bills aimed at providing long-lasting reversible contraception, such an implants or intrauterine devices, to patients who have given birth before they are discharged from a hospital.

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There is competition among Democrats for time during this short, lame duck session. Advocates for economic development, infrastructure and gun control measures are among the many looking to push through bills in the month that is left. Major contention over new paid sick leave and minimum wage requirements is likely to garner attention. Those discussions could reduce the amount of time available to debate reproductive health measures.

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The Associated Press’ women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.





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Opportunity knocks for Michigan’s guards with L.J. Cason out

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Opportunity knocks for Michigan’s guards with L.J. Cason out


Ann Arbor — The Wolverines won the outright Big Ten regular-season title with two games to go, but it came at a great cost.

L.J. Cason, Michigan’s backup point guard and a key piece of the rotation, tore his right ACL in the championship-clinching win at Illinois. Just like that, Cason’s season was over and Michigan was hit with a brutal blow.

But when adversity strikes, opportunity knocks. While the team won’t be the same without Cason, coach Dusty May believes Michigan has backcourt pieces who can step up and make up for the loss.

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“This is a great opportunity for Roddy (Gayle Jr.), Trey (McKenney) and Nimari (Burnett) to play more, and those guys are really good players,” May said Monday. “Our rotation has been nine and nine, I think, is too deep. It’s playing too many guys, if you want to optimize everyone. But we felt like we had nine guys that deserved to play, that gave us a different element.

“We look at this as another challenge, but it’s also an opportunity for guys to play a little bit more, to play longer periods, to play through a mistake, to play a little bit different role. We do feel like these guys are a lot better than they were earlier this year, so we’re prepared to handle whatever comes at us.”

May said he doesn’t know exactly when Cason tore his ACL, and neither does Cason. The sophomore guard fell to the court and got up favoring his right leg on two separate occasions against Illinois.

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The first instance came in the final minute of the first half, when Cason tipped a long rebound ahead and chased it down to start a fast break. After he grabbed the ball in the air and bounced it backward between his legs to a trailing teammate, Cason went down. He got up hobbling, was subbed out and went back to the locker room.

Cason briefly checked back in during the second half and scored a driving layup a minute into his shift. But on Michigan’s next possession, he fell down after trying to score through contact and got up limping again. Shortly after that, Cason motioned to the Michigan bench to be taken out of the game and he exited for good.

“At halftime, the training staff came and said basically he’s passed all of his jump test. He just did the bike. He says he’s 100% ready to go. I was surprised, because I was expecting him to be out,” May said. “I said, ‘What about the test?’ They said both of his knees are loose, so it’s hard. We don’t feel that anything is torn.

“He comes back in. He lands funny again. … It’s unfortunate for him because he was playing so well. When an ACL pops on a noncontact injury, you’re like, ‘Man, what could we have done different?’ When it happens on a funny, quirky play, usually those are the ones that aren’t preventable.”

May added it hasn’t been determined yet when Cason will undergo surgery. Given the typical recovery timeline for a torn ACL ranges anywhere from nine to 12 months, May said Cason redshirting next season is a possibility that’s “on the table.”

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“That’s certainly been discussed as well, and then that impacts the recruiting decision-making,” May said. “But right now, we’re still trying to figure out when he’s going to have it. What’s the timeline? Does it make sense to go ahead and sit out next year? … We haven’t made any definitive decisions, because all the information is so inconclusive.”

Moving forward, the plan isn’t to have just one guy replace Cason, who averaged 8.4 points and 2.4 assists in 18.6 minutes per game, shot 40.2% from 3-point range and served as a facilitator when starting point guard Elliot Cadeau wasn’t on the court. It’ll be a by-committee approach.

That said, Cason’s absence is certainly going to put much more on Cadeau’s shoulders. The Wolverines can ill afford to have Cadeau commit unnecessary fouls and miss long stretches at a time. Without Cason, Cadeau is the one guard who can break down opposing defenses off the dribble and create for others.

“This will force Elliot to be much more solid with his defensive decision-making when it comes to fouling,” May said. “He doesn’t have that insurance policy anymore named L.J. behind him, because L.J. came in and carried the load several games for our group. That’s not there anymore.”

While Burnett, Gayle and McKenney haven’t had to be facilitators in their roles this season, May expressed confidence all three can take on minutes with the ball in their hands and initiate the offense.

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Even beyond the guards, May noted the team has “other capable weapons” who can serve as triggers on offense depending on the matchup, like forwards Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. and big man Aday Mara.

Add it all together, May feels the Wolverines can find a way to absorb the blow, fill the void and forge ahead with Cason sidelined.

“We have enough to overcome what L.J. brought to the team,” May said. “I don’t know if he’s the best backup point guard in the country, but I can’t think of one that’s better. We’re losing a lot, but once again, we’re not going to sit here and look at it from that angle.

“This is an opportunity for all these other guys to do a little bit more, and they’re more than capable. It’s on us to find the right rotations and situations. Without a doubt, we have a lot of confidence in our roster.”

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

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@jamesbhawkins



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Michigan State Police patrol car damaged in hit-and-run on Lodge Freeway in Detroit

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Michigan State Police patrol car damaged in hit-and-run on Lodge Freeway in Detroit



The Michigan State Police is looking for the driver of a Jeep that the agency said hit one of its patrol cars on Lodge Freeway in Detroit Sunday night.

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According to officials, the incident happened at 7:50 p.m. on the northbound side of the freeway near Shaefer Highway. The agency said a trooper was investigating a crash and had the patrol car parked on the right shoulder of the freeway with its emergency lights on when it was rear-ended by the Jeep. 

“The impact forced the patrol car to strike the concrete wall on the right shoulder,” according to the agency.

A damaged Michigan State Police patrol car on the side of Lodge Freeway in Detroit on March 1, 2026, after it was hit by a Jeep. 

Michigan State Police

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The Jeep then went across three lanes of the freeway and hit a median wall, officials said. The driver, identified by law enforcement as a 29-year-old Detroit woman, left the vehicle and fled the scene. 

Michigan State Police First Lieutenant Mike Shaw said that while the trooper was evaluated and cleared at the scene by medical personnel, he was still taken to the hospital as a precaution. 



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Indiana extends Big Ten streak to five as the Michigan women win for the first time since 2018

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Indiana extends Big Ten streak to five as the Michigan women win for the first time since 2018


The Indiana men didn’t just win, they secured a fifth straight conference championship, continuing a swimming and diving dynasty in Bloomington. Michigan’s women surged to the top of the league, capturing the title with authority and balance across the lineup.

Records fell left and right throughout the week as this year’s Big 10 championships featured some of the best performances in conference history in the pool.

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Here are the main takeaways from this year’s Big 10 swimming and diving championships:

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Indiana breaks away from Michigan to win fifth straight title

The Indiana men continued their dominance in the pool in 2026, extending their Big 10 dynasty.

From start to finish, the Hoosiers demonstrated experience and elite talent. Indiana won ten different events, including two relays and eight individual wins from six different athletes.

Indiana dominated the distance events this week, winning the 400-yd IM, the 500-yd freestyle, and 1,650-yd freestyle. Senior Zalan Sarkany won both distance freestyle events while freshman Josh Bey started off his Big 10 career with a win in the 400-yard IM.

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Owen McDonald was the second highest scorer in the meet behind Michigan senior Tyler Ray, who was named Big 10 Swimmer of the Championships. The senior won the Big 10 title in the 100-yd backstroke and 200-yd IM.

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Senior Kai Van Westering and junior Dylan Smiley closed on the week with wins on the last night of competition for the Hoosiers. Van Westering grabbed the win in the 200-yd backstroke and Dylan Smiley won the 100-yd freestyle before leading Indiana to a win in the 400-yd freestyle relay to close out the meet.

Beyond individual stars, the Hoosiers stacked swims in the top eight of each event, showcasing balance across not only distance, but sprint and mid-distance events as well. Indiana’s performance combined consistency and poise, placing swimmers in the establishing control from the first event individual event to the final relay.

The win marks Indiana’s 32nd Big 10 title overall, which is second all time behind Michigan. Head coach Ray Looze won his ninth men’s Big Ten title, moving him into the top five all time in conference history.



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