Senators Warren, Gregory, Young, Ananich, Bieda, Hopgood, Hertel, Knezek and Hood offered the following resolution:

            Senate Resolution No. 118.

A resolution to request that the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Congress fully investigate the unrelenting acts of violence against reproductive health clinics and invest federal resources towards security upgrades and heightened safeguards to protect innocent civilians from acts of domestic terrorism.

            Whereas, On Friday, November 27, 2015, a tragic shooting at a Planned Parenthood Center in Colorado Springs resulted in the death of a police officer, a mother of two, a veteran father of two, and the hospitalization of nine individuals wounded by the gunfire. The suspected shooter allegedly made inflammatory anti-choice remarks, indicating a strong motivation for the attack; and

            Whereas, Since the groundbreaking Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, which granted women a constitutional right to abortion, there have been nearly 7,000 acts of violence in the United States and Canada against reproductive health care clinics, including eight murders, 17 attempted murders, and hundreds of arsons, bombings, death threats, and other horrendous acts of terrorism. Furthermore, there have been nearly 200,000 acts of disruption against reproductive health care clinics, including over 15,000 hate mailings and harassing phone calls, 661 bomb threats, and thousands of other deeply troublesome acts of intimidation; and 

            Whereas, The anti-choice organization, Center for Medical Progress, began releasing contentious—and now discredited—videos in July 2015 which make false allegations about the practices of Planned Parenthood. Since these grossly misleading and highly edited videos were released, none of the states that opened investigations against Planned Parenthood, as a result of the videos, have been able to substantiate these claims; and

            Whereas, In a knee-jerk reaction to the controversial videos, the U.S. Senate attempted to defund Planned Parenthood, and the U.S. House of Representatives formed a select investigative panel to examine the already debunked accusations made in the video. Additionally, elected officials and polarizing groups have intensified their hateful rhetoric against Planned Parenthood and like organizations, which has undeniably contributed to the increased acts of violence against reproductive health centers; and

            Whereas, The FBI sent out a nationwide warning to law enforcement officials in September that the violent attacks on reproductive health clinics would likely continue, and states are beginning to ramp up security efforts at clinic locations in response to the drastic increase in acts of violence targeted towards Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health care clinics; and 

            Whereas, Domestic terrorism is defined in 18 U.S.C. 2331 as activities involving acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state and appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping. The recent Colorado shooting and history of intentional attacks against reproductive health clinics fit the definition of domestic terrorism, but have received minimal attention or have not been thoroughly investigated as acts of domestic terrorism by the federal government; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Senate, That we request the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Congress to fully investigate the unrelenting acts of violence against reproductive health clinics and invest federal resources towards security upgrades and heighted safeguards to protect innocent civilians from acts of domestic terrorism; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Attorney General of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.