April 23, 2024
At a regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the County of Ottawa, Michigan, held at the Fillmore Street Complex in the Township of Olive, Michigan on the 23rd day of April, 2024 at 6:30 PM local time.
PRESENT: Commissioners: Gretchen Cosby, Douglas Zylstra, Kendra Wenzel, Sylvia Rhodea, Rebekah Curan, Allison Miedema, Lucy Ebel, Roger Belknap, Joe Moss, Roger Bergman. ABSENT: Commissioners: Jacob Bonnema.
It was moved by Commissioner Rhodea and supported by Commissioner Cosby that the following Resolution be adopted
WHEREAS, America is an exceptional nation made up of beautiful people, who share a history of triumph over adversity, with our nation built on the strength of our founding documents. The Declaration of Independence eloquently affirms, and the Constitution protects, the God-given, unalienable right to life; and
WHEREAS, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners (“Board”) swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the State of Michigan. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Federal Constitution guarantee that no person be deprived of life without due process of law; and
WHEREAS, abortion, the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device harms women and intentionally terminates her pregnancy by causing the death of her preborn child; and
WHEREAS, the right to life belongs equally to all members of humanity including children born and preborn, individuals healthy or unhealthy, and the elderly or infirm. The unspeakable harm to women and the loss of over 63 million preborn babies following the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade does not negate the right to life; and
WHEREAS, the fifty plus years following Roe v. Wade additionally resulted in a cheapening of the perceived worth and respect for the sanctity of human life, and the anguish of millions of women and girls pressured to have an abortion; and
WHEREAS, medical and scientific evidence establishes the beginning of a human being’s life cycle to be at fertilization. Children are persons before birth, sharing all the basic attributes of human personality. Preborn children have morally and legally protectable interests in life, health, personal security, and well-being; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade through Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, affirming that there is no Federal constitutional right to an abortion; and
WHEREAS, the people of Ottawa County have a love for life, with a desire to safeguard laws protecting women, the rights of preborn children and future generations. Children are our greatest treasure and the preborn are our most vulnerable population; and
WHEREAS, in 1988 President Ronald Reagan shared on National Sanctity of Human Life Day, “Our Nation cannot continue down the path of abortion, so radically at odds with our history, our heritage, and our concepts of justice. This sacred legacy, and the well-being and the future of our country, demand that protection of the innocents must be guaranteed and that the personhood of the unborn be declared and defended throughout our land;” and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Board affirms the unalienable personhood and rights of every American, from the moment of conception until natural death. Further, we commit to protect the lives and well-being of each member of our community including the life of the preborn, upholding the virtues of our nation and its founding; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that County staff and resources support women who make a choice for life for their preborn children and for counseling through existing resources throughout the county; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Board recognizes that the Ottawa County Department of Public Health does not provide abortions or transportation to abortion services, and the Board encourages this practice to continue; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Board encourages individuals and communities to promote life, support women in making a choice for life, protect the preborn, provide resources for expectant mothers, and support organizations, which assist mothers and fathers with life-affirming decisions in unplanned pregnancies, and adopt and foster children, ensuring every child is valued, loved and protected; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that nothing in this Resolution shall be interpreted to conflict with the United States and Michigan Constitutions and Federal and State law, and shall be construed and applied in a manner consistent with the United States and Michigan Constitutions and Federal and State law.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this Resolution be sent to Michigan Senators Mark Huizenga, Roger Victory, and Rick Outman, Michigan Representatives Nancy DeBoer, Luke Meerman, Brad Slagh, Rachelle Smit, and Greg VanWoerkom, to the Clerk of each county in the State of Michigan, and all Ottawa County department directors.
YEAS: Roger Belknap, Rebekah Curran, Gretchen Cosby, Sylvia Rhodea, Kedra Wenzel, Allison Miedema, Lucy Ebel, Joe Moss.
NAYS: Douglas Zylstra and Roger Bergman.
ABSTENTIONS: Commissioners: None.