Now, fast forward to April 2007, when the U.S. Supreme Court re-visited the constitutionality of partial-birth abortion in Gonzales v. Carhart.  In Gonzales, the high court ruled that the federal partial-birth abortion ban as passed by Congress, and signed into law by President Bush in 2003, was constitutional.  The 5-to-4 reversal of the 2000 Stenberg decision was a result of two solid pro-life appointments to the high court by President Bush - Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.

With the Legal Birth Definition Act pretty much doomed to oblivion thanks to a U.S. District Court Judge's ruling in September 2005, Right to Life of Michigan pinned its hope on yet a fourth attempt to establish a state ban on partial-birth abortion and, in 2007, bills were introduced in both the state House of Representatives and state Senate.  

The new Michigan Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act was substantially modeled after the successful Congressional legislation and would make "it a felony when a physician or any other individual performs a partial birth abortion, except to save the life of the mother, or if the mother's life is `endangered by a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury.'"  See: http://www.rtl.org/html/legislation/partial_birth_abortion_ban_act.html

The latter language is important because the U.S. Supreme Court upheld it in Gonzales as constituting a constitutionally adequate "health" exception.

But now in 2008, Governor Granholm disagrees with the U.S. Supreme Court (surprise!) and instead has rationalized her current veto by arguing "she won't support the law because it doesn't allow the abortion method to be used if a mother's health is in danger."  See: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hBf2QcgbtequYSabp1RS_Wm8i8EgD919GR6G0

I imagine Governor Granholm can read and understand U.S. Supreme Court case law, if she chooses to.  

But it seems that this Harvard law graduate and former state Attorney General really isn't interested in doing so because it no longer gives her cover for her atrocious, WILLFUL and outright SINFUL behavior in condoning legal infanticide - all in the name of her false god called "Choice."  

Recall that in the Book of Exodus the more that the People of God and their leaders confronted Pharaoh concerning his immoral actions as their "ruler," the harder Pharaoh's heart grew.

When Granholm became state Attorney General in 1999 she was still being coy about her true position on abortion "rights" and sought to defend in federal court the constitutionality of the Infant Protection Act, which was Michigan's second attempt to ban partial-birth abortion at the state level.  She even met with Right to Life of Michigan's leaders, including long time president Barbara Listing, about her legal strategy.  

Huh.  What a difference a decade of blood-soaked campaign contributions from the abortion industry makes.  

In an e-mail recently released to supporters, Right to Life of Michigan confirmed that President Barbara Listing had sent a formal letter to Governor Granholm inviting her to discuss the latest state partial-birth abortion ban but that the Governor declined to meet with representatives from Right to Life of Michigan.  

So, Granholm has gone from defending a state partial-birth abortion ban in federal court, to vetoing one in 2003 because it was supposedly not in compliance with U.S. Supreme Court precedent, to vetoing the latest ban here in 2008 despite U.S. Supreme Court precedent.  

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the evolution of a sock puppet - a sock puppet of the abortion industry.  

From a legal perspective, Granholm's rationale for her latest veto is now devoid of any semblance of coherent logic.  Her position is unsupportable by legal precedent and she knows it.

But like Pharaoh, Granholm's heart has only grown harder as she has been confronted with the Truth.  

This is quite unfortunate for all involved, especially Michigan's precious unborn children.  

But, as recounted in the Book of Exodus, eventually the People of God were freed from their slavery and the Lord prevailed.  

Thus, so too, I am confident that Michigan's pro-life community will ultimately be successful in initiating a permanent state ban on partial-birth abortion via a legislative override or through another "People's Override" campaign.

But will Governor Granholm ultimately meet a similar political fate to that of the Pharaoh?

Time will tell all - but those who lie with snakes should not be surprised when they are eventually consumed by them.

About the author: Andrew Shirvell, Esq., is a pro-life citizen activist who writes a weekly column that is published every Thursday for RightMichigan.com in which he focuses upon Michigan pro-life issues. He is the co-author of "Michigan Law and the Scales of Justice, Life in the Balance," a white paper published by Americans United for Life (2007).  Shirvell attended Ave Maria School of Law - Ann Arbor, where he served as president of the school's Bioethics Society, from 2004-2005.  He also served as president of Students for Life at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, from 2000-2002.