LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan state lawmaker told a crowd protesting President Trump’s early actions this week that she received elective surgery to remove her reproductive organs.
State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky was supported by left-leaning protesters and criticized by right-wing social media users.
The 36-year-old Democrat explained that she decided to have surgery after thinking about it for a few years, and Trump’s election helped her make the final choice. She wanted to show that other women might have the same worries about getting birth control, so she decided to talk about it.
She told The Associated Press that she has gotten threats since she spoke earlier this week and reported at least one of them to Michigan authorities. The Associated Press contacted the Michigan State police for their response.
“I don’t really understand why people are so angry about this,” Pohutsky said.
Pohutsky told large crowd gathered in Lansing at the state Capitol Wednesday that she chose last month to have a bilateral salpingectomy to remove her fallopian tubes. Abortion is legally protected in Michigan, and state politicians have improved access to contraceptives. However, she mentioned that the decision was influenced by concerns that the Trump administration will try to limit access.
“Most of these executive orders come directly from Project 2025, and that document also explains how to restrict access to contraception,” she said.
After Trump was elected, doctors noticed more women looking for long-term birth control and total sterilization. In May, Trump told a TV station in Pittsburgh that he might support some rules about contraception. Later, he said he has never supported limiting birth control and never will.
Pohutsky explained that she and her husband talked about having the surgery for a couple of years. She scheduled the surgery after the November election. She thought about changing the date because it was on a session day, but she chose to keep it after seeing Trump’s actions.
A few well-known conservative figures on X criticized her choice, including the account Libs of TikTok and commentator Ben Shapiro.
Shapiro shared a post about her that said, “So many broken people.” Libs of TikTok has removed their post on X.
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