After revealing this week that she underwent elective sterilization surgery, a Michigan lawmaker is now receiving threats. WWJ Newsradio has previously reported on the same lawmaker calling out threats against elected officials.
According to a Friday report from the Associated Press, Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-17), 36, said that she has received threats since telling a crowd protesting President Donald Trump about the procedure. While the Lansing crowd cheered, she soon faced criticism.
“I don’t fully grasp the level of animosity that people have about this,” Pohutsky said, per the AP. She told the outlet that she contacted authorities about at least one of the threats and it reached out to Michigan State Police for comment.
Pohutsky, a lifelong Michigan resident, is a microbiologist who is serving her third term in the state’s House of Representatives. She also serves as chair of Michigan Progressive Women’s Caucus.
In 2020, WWJ reported that Pohutsky “called out a man on Twitter this morning for sending what she described as a death threat to her office – from his official work email account”
Along with her husband, the lawmaker had been considering the surgery to prevent pregnancy for years but that Trump’s reelection in November was the factor that eventually led to her booking an appointment. Trump appointed three of the U.S. Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. That move ended federal protection of abortion access and triggered a slew of restrictive reproductive healthcare laws across the country. Last weekend, the president also signed an Executive Order to end the use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion.
Per the AP’s report, Pohutsky underwent a bilateral salpingectomy to remove her fallopian tubes. This procedure is also used to treat or prevent some cancers in addition to functioning as permanent contraception, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Recovery usually takes from a few days to about a week, and patients who keep their uterus may get pregnant in the future via in-vitro fertilization.
Pohutsky hoped that sharing her experience would help other women concerned about reproductive health issues, the AP said. She also cited concerns about the Project 2025 plan shared by conservatives.
“Pretty much all of these executive orders have come straight out of Project 2025, and that same document outlines a process for limiting access to contraception,” Pohutsky explained. She’s also not the only woman who has sought similar procedures following the fall of Roe. Audacy reported in July 2022, shortly after the Supreme Court ruling, that more women were scheduling appointments for sterilization.
Another member of the Michigan House, Rep. Brad Paquette (R-37) is one of the people who publicly criticized Pohutsky.
“She very well knows that President Trump can not take away her ability to abort her unborn baby here in Michigan,” he said in an X post. “Publicly announcing the destruction of her reproductive system to further misinformation for political gain must be condemned by all. In no way should any political leader promote self harm, especially to promote blatant falsehoods.”
Even before the post, Pohutsky took to X to say: “The fact that so many conservative men take personal offense to a decision that I made with my husband about my health care and future just proves the point that we shouldn’t assume that right is secure.”
Conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro also weighed in on her decision with an X post that read: “So many broken people.”
“I think the broken people are the ones who are personally aggrieved by my personal healthcare decision, but then again you thought WAP was a crime against humanity, so go off,” Pohutsky said in response, referring to the song “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, which Shapiro also criticized.