U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin ad skews opponent Mike Rogers’ current position on abortion

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., targeted her Republican opponent for U.S. Senate, Mike Rogers, over his abortion position.

In the ad that began running Sept. 25 on Facebook and Instagram, a woman identified as Sarah describes having to decide whether to end a pregnancy because of a medical problem. 

"Mike Rogers believes he should make that decision" about whether to end a pregnancy, the ad said. 

On-screen text in the ad said, "Mike Rogers voted to ban abortion, even without exceptions for rape or incest." Rogers served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2015, and he consistently voted for abortion restrictions and co-sponsored bills that would outlaw abortion from the moment of conception. 

More recently, though, Rogers has said that he respects the constitutional protections for abortion access that Michigan voters approved in a 2022 referendum, and he said he would not vote to change those protections if elected to the U.S. Senate. 

Rogers and Slotkin are in a competitive race to fill the Senate seat held by outgoing Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

In an email to PolitiFact, Rogers campaign spokesperson Chris Gustafson said Rogers, if elected to the U.S. Senate, would vote no on a federal abortion ban. In a statement the campaign previously provided to PolitiFact, Rogers said he believes decisions about a woman’s pregnancy should be made "solely by her, her family, her doctor, and her God."

"Michigan voters have already decided this issue, and I respect their decision and will uphold and defend it as Michigan's Senator," Rogers said in the previous statement.

Slotkin campaign spokesperson Antoine Givens said Rogers supported abortion restrictions at every point in his congressional career, and his voting record shows he believes the government should restrict abortion rights. 

"Over 14 years in Congress, not once did he break from his party on the issue of abortion," Givens said.

During 14 years in Congress, Rogers supported several measures to outlaw and restrict abortion. He co-sponsored four "life at conception" laws that sought to give constitutional rights to embryos from the moment of conception. These laws were intended to make abortion illegal at any point in pregnancy and included no exceptions for rape, incest or to protect the pregnant woman’s health.  

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The Inflation Reduction Act, which Rep. Elissa Slotkin supported, “drove inflation higher.”

He also voted for a 2013 bill to ban abortion nationally after 20 weeks. That bill initially included no exceptions for rape and incest, but the exceptions were added before the vote was taken. 

In a 2010 interview with MLive, a news outlet, Rogers said he believes federal and state governments "were established to protect our lives and the lives of the unborn." He said he believes "abortions should be legal only to prevent the death of the mother." 

Abortion politics have changed significantly in the nearly 10 years since Rogers left Congress. The U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 and ensuing backlash to abortion restrictions in several states have prompted many Republicans to moderate their stance. 

During this Senate campaign, Rogers has moved away from his past position and said he will not vote to change Michigan’s constitutional abortion protections. 

Rogers reiterated his position on federal abortion laws in a recent ad. 

"I know that a decision about a pregnancy is one of the most difficult and personal decisions a woman will make," he said. "Michigan voters have already decided the issue, and I respect that decision. In the Senate, I won’t do anything to change it."

Michigan voters approved the amendment in 2022 with 57% voting in favor. It prohibits any state restrictions on abortion or other reproductive care until fetal viability, around 24 weeks. After that point, the state may restrict abortion unless it’s needed to protect the pregnant woman’s physical or mental health. 

Though Rogers has committed to not voting to overturn Michigan’s constitutional protections for abortions, he said in a 2023 interview he "probably wouldn’t have" voted for the ballot measure if given the chance because it was too permissive. He was living in Florida then.

Slotkin’s ad said Rogers "believes he should make that decision" about whether to end pregnancies. 

Rogers supported strict abortion bans in the past, and said he believed the government had a responsibility to restrict abortion access.

More recently, he has said he will not support any federal legislation that would change the abortion protections voters added to Michigan’s constitution in 2022. 

The claim has an element of truth, as Rogers supported abortion bans for more than a decade serving in Congress, but it ignores his current position. We rate it Mostly False.

CORRECTION, Sept. 30, 2024: We updated this article to correctly reflect Rogers’ statements to MLive on abortion in a 2010 interview.