Lansing Update: Former Planned Parenthood Whistleblower to Keynote Michigan March for Life
Posted August 1, 2025
Former Planned Parenthood Whistleblower to Keynote Michigan March for Life
A former Planned Parenthood employee who was fired after she spoke against the abortion provider’s practices—and who also underwent a reversion to her Catholic faith—is the keynote speaker for this year’s Michigan March for Life on November 6.
An initial list of speakers includes Mayra Rodriguez, who worked at Planned Parenthood for nearly 20 years but was fired after she raised concerns over the practices at the abortion provider, a wrongful termination that was upheld by a jury, according to information provided on her website.
Rodriguez is now a pro-life advocate and “credits the faith of those praying on the sidewalk and the power of Divine Mercy for her return to her Catholic faith.”
Others listed on the Michigan March for Life website include Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger, who is expected to give the opening prayer at the rally. Former television anchor Chuck Gaidica—who states on his website that he returned home to the Catholic Church—is also listed as a speaker, as are officials representing the Knights of Columbus, Right to Life of Michigan, and March for Life.
If you have not done so already, the link to RSVP for the event can be found here. The March is set for Thursday, November 6, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing.
In other news related to human life advocacy, the U.S. Catholic bishops have issued a nationwide call to pray for the end of taxpayer-funded abortions in response to a court ruling that allows Medicaid funds to continue flowing to Planned Parenthood.
New federal legislation passed by Congress and signed into law ended Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, but Planned Parenthood sued, and the court’s temporary stop on that provision of the law will allow it to continue.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) are inviting Catholics to join a focused effort of daily prayer to stop taxpayer funding of the abortion industry, invoking the intercession of St. Joseph, and continuing until October 1, the beginning of Respect Life Month. Here is the suggested prayer to be recited daily:
Dearest St. Joseph, at the word of an angel, you lovingly took Mary into your home. As God’s humble servant, you guided the Holy Family on the road to Bethlehem, welcomed Jesus as your own son in the shelter of a manger, and fled far from your homeland for the safety of both Mother and Child. We praise God that as their faithful protector, you never hesitated to sacrifice for those entrusted to you. May your example inspire us also to welcome, cherish, and safeguard God’s most precious gift of life. Help us to faithfully commit ourselves to the service and defense of human life—especially where it is vulnerable or threatened. Obtain for us the grace to do the will of God in all things. Amen.
No News on State Budget; Messages Supporting Nonpublic Schools Surpass 2,700
The state Legislature has met periodically over the past few weeks, but no agreement has been reached on the next state budget, despite the July 1 deadline in state law.
The Legislature and the Governor must agree to and enact a budget before the new fiscal year begins October 1, as the current budget funding will lapse before then.
With regards to state support for nonpublic schools—a major MCC policy priority in the budget process—to recap, the Governor and Senate both eliminated funding for nonpublic schools in their proposals, while the House passed a bill to allocate $40 million for a defined set of services for nonpublic schools.
MCC launched an Action Alert in late June to drive grassroots engagement with lawmakers and encourage them to support a budget that includes nonpublic schools. As of this week, more than 2,700 messages have been sent to lawmakers in nearly every state legislative district.
To support this effort, MCC produced and shared videos featuring interviews with Michigan nonpublic school leaders, explaining how their schools have benefited from state support and how nonpublic education serves the common good of this state.
If you have not already, the opportunity to send a message to your lawmaker remains available at micatholic.org/supportstudents.
For the month of August, the House is not scheduled for session next week but returns to its full-time session schedule beginning the week of August 12. The Senate is scheduled to hold session on August 12–14 and August 26.
Learn What New Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Means for Michigan
The new federal K-12 scholarship tax credit enacted in recent federal legislation could help Michigan families afford Catholic and nonpublic education and provide additional education resources for public school students, MCC shared in comments published in a recent Detroit Catholic article.
The article and MCC comments provide a helpful explanation of the possible impact of the new scholarship tax credit component of the federal tax and spending legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in early July.
An important caveat to note at this point is that individual states must opt into the program for residents to benefit from it, with the date to opt in currently set at January 1, 2027. The process by which Michigan would signal its participation must still be determined.
But MCC noted that if adopted by Michigan, the scholarship tax credits would make it easier for Michigan families to afford education-related expenses, whether that’s tuition to nonpublic schools, or tutoring and other support services for public school students.
The new law allows individuals to contribute to nonprofit scholarship-granting organizations, which would allow those individuals to claim a tax credit worth up to $1,700 for the donation. The scholarship-granting organization would use the money raised from donations to fund scholarships for children of families with incomes of up to 300% above the poverty line.
Paul Stankewitz, a policy advocate for MCC who specializes in education policy matters, told Detroit Catholic that “300% of the poverty line takes in a large chunk of the middle class. So this will help families with paying for tuition at a non-public school or helping a child attending public school who requires additional tutoring.”
The federal government will next propose and promulgate rules to implement the law before it goes into effect. MCC, as well as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), will be monitoring the process and advocating for rules that ensure the law is implemented effectively.