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INDEX
Vol. CXXX, No. 79
©2022 The Michigan Daily

N E W S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

STATEMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . 4

M I C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

O PIN IO N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
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UMich forms task force in 
response to potential state 
wide abortion ban in Michigan
In response to the leaked Supreme Court draft 
opinion, UMich takes action to protect rights to 
an abortion for students

Content Warning: This article 
contains mentions of sexual violence.
The 
University 
of 
Michigan 
announced 
on 
Wednesday 
the 
formation of a task force in response 
to a potential statewide abortion ban 
in Michigan. 
A publicized draft opinion from 
the U.S. Supreme Court indicates the 
court could overturn the 1973 Roe v. 
Wade decision, which established a 
nationwide constitutional right to 
abortion. This ruling would leave 
decisions about abortion rights to 
each state’s discretion. 
The state of Michigan currently 
has a 1931 law making abortion — in 
all cases, including rape and incest 
— a felony. Though the law is not 
currently being enforced, it could 
come back into effect should Roe 
v. Wade be overturned. This law 
is the subject of multiple lawsuits 
seeking to protect access to abortion, 
with one lawsuit being filed by 
Planned Parenthood of Michigan 
and another by Gov. Gretchen 
Whitmer. A preliminary injunction 
was recently issued by a Michigan 
Court of Claims to prevent the 1931 
abortion law from being enacted if 
Roe v Wade were overturned. 
In 
an 
interview 
with 
The 
Michigan Daily, Interim University 
President 
Mary 
Sue 
Coleman 
discussed 
why 
the 
University 
decided to create the task force. 
“The specter of a complete 
ban on abortion care in Michigan 
is worrisome,” Coleman said. “I 
strongly support access to abortion 
care. We have a female-dominated 
institution; we care about our own 
communities as well as those we 

serve through clinical care and 
education. I am deeply concerned 
about how prohibiting abortion 
would 
affect 
U-M’s 
medical 
teaching, our research and our 
service to communities in need.”
Coleman and Marschall S. Runge, 
the executive vice president for 
medical affairs, are leading the 
formation of the task force. The task 
force will include representatives 
from several U-M departments, 
including 
Michigan 
Medicine’s 
clinical teams, the Medical School, 
the Office of General Counsel, 
Human Resources and University 
Health Services (UHS).
According to the announcement, 
the 
task 
force 
also 
includes 
students and faculty from the LSA 
departments of Psychology and 
Women’s and Gender Studies, the 
School of Information, the Institute 
for Research on Women and Gender, 
Library Health Sciences and more.
In an email to The Daily, Michigan 
Medicine 
Spokeswoman 
Mary 
Masson said more members will be 
added to the task force overtime. 
“The 
task 
force 
includes 
representatives 
from 
multiple 
campuses, schools and colleges, 
and multiple facets of student, staff 
and faculty life,” Masson wrote. “As 
needs continue to be identified, the 
group will continue to grow.”
In the University’s announcement, 
Michigan 
Medicine 
Professor 
Lisa Harris said the task force will 
consider ways to mitigate the impact 
of federal abortion access being 
overturned on Michigan Medicine’s 
clinical training programs, which 
include training centered around 
abortion and reproductive care.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Alzheimer’s Association holds 
dementia caregiver support group for 
U-M community

The Greater Michigan Chapter 
of the Alzheimer’s Association 
has a support group for dementia 
caregivers who are students and 
staff at the University of Michigan, 
Eastern 
Michigan 
University, 
Concordia 
University 
and 
Washtenaw Community College. 
The support group, conducted by 
trained facilitators, aims to provide 
a safe space for students and 
staff with shared experiences in 
dementia caregiving.
U-M 
staff 
Mallory 
Martin-
Ferguson, 
a 
support 
group 
facilitator, said the support group 
serves as a place where people 
can share personal experiences 
and firsthand accounts related to 
caregiving for dementia patients.
“In theory, people might have 
some shared experiences around 
being 
a 
caregiver 
and 
really 
recognize and understand the 
challenges that (caregiving) brings 
up for people,” Matin-Ferguson 
said. “We wanted to do this group 
specifically (for) faculty, staff and 
students. (There is a) concentration 

Students and staff at UMich who are also caregivers gather together 
to offer support and guidance for one another

of folks who are experiencing stress 
in the U-M community. We thought 
(the support) would be really 
beneficial.”
Martin-Ferguson 
said 
her 
personal experience as a caregiver 
drew her to volunteer as a facilitator 
in the caregiver support group. Her 
mother was diagnosed with early-
onset Alzheimer’s disease when 
Martin-Ferguson was a graduate 
student, and she attended some 
support groups and found them 
beneficial. 
“(My mother) passed away years 
ago, and I was feeling like now I 
have the capacity and emotional 
bandwidth to try to give back to the 
Alzheimer’s Association,” Martin-
Ferguson said. “So I reached out 
to see if I could be a support group 
facilitator.”
Michelle 
Phalen, 
program 
coordinator 
of 
the 
Alzheimer’s 
Association, 
oversees 
support 
services throughout Southeastern 
and 
South-Central 
Michigan. 
According to Phalen, the group 
was initiated in January 2021 and 
operates virtually. 
Phalen said they decided to create 
a support group for students and 
people working at the University 

ANNA FIFELSKI 
Summer News Editor

JINGQI ZHU 
Daily Staff Reporter

who face stress as caregivers to 
someone living with dementia. 
Phalen said both staff and student 
caregivers can experience many 
challenges physically, emotionally 
and financially.
“If you’re working or if you’re a 
student, you’re going to have some 
unique challenges with being a 
caregiver, whether that is your 
schedule and flexibility,” Phalen 
said. “You probably have little to no 
income. Trying to figure out how 
to pay for care and things like that. 
Those are all challenges.”
Phalen said she hopes the group 
can be a comfortable place for 
caregivers to share and receive 
resources. Phalen also said that she 
hopes caregivers can come to the 
support group for advice on how to 
approach conversations with their 
supervisors about additional needs 
they may require in their situation.
“It’s a lot to manage these 
multiple responsibilities,” Phalen 
said. “Just to have that conversation, 
so (when) you have to maybe alter 
your schedule a little bit, (people) 
will be more understanding.

Design by Jennie Vang

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

