A constitutional measure to protect abortion has a spot on Montana’s ballot this fall. Candidates in the U.S. Senate and governor’s races are also highlighting the issue in their campaigns.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester held three campaign rallies over the weekend with Planned Parenthood Action Fund, centering on reproductive rights in his hotly contested re-election campaign.
“You don’t want a politician or a bureaucrat or a judge telling you, especially if you're a woman, what health care decisions you’re going to make, do you? No," Tester said to the crowd.
Tester supported federal legislation to protect abortion access before fetal viability — generally considered to be around 24 weeks. It would also protect abortion post-viability when medically necessary based on the “good-faith medical judgment” of the provider.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy is anti-abortion and calls Tester’s stance extreme. Sheehy has said "I am proudly pro-life and support commonsense protections for when a baby can feel pain, as well as exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother, and I believe any further limits must be left to each state."
The Libertarian in the U.S. Senate Race, Sid Daoud, has said the government should not regulate abortion.
Support and opposition to a proposal to add protections for abortion to Montana’s Constitution could encourage voter turnout.
Incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte recently told NBC Montana he’ll vote no on that measure.
“I encourage other people to vote no, too. We need to honor life, and this ballot initiative doesn’t do that," Gianforte said.
Gianforte has signed around a dozen anti-abortion bills into law since taking office. The most restrictive last session was a law that effectively banned abortion after 15 weeks. All restrictions are currently tied up in court.
Gianforte’s Democratic challenger Ryan Busse has criticized the governor for that stance. Busse supports constitutional protections for abortion, and says “no politician has any right to make private health care decisions for women.”
Libertarian candidate for governor Kaiser Lieb also supports access to abortion.
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A court case out of Louisiana temporarily halted Montanans’ ability to get abortion medications by mail. The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted that decision. A ruling by the high court against mailing medication would impact rural women the most. -
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In Montana, abortion access has been at times illegal, legal, and stuck in limbo. Providers have weathered bombings and arson, advocates and opponents have battled it out in court, and citizens have passed a constitutional amendment affirming a woman's right to choose. One listener wants to know more about the history of reproductive rights in Montana. MTPR's Aaron Bolton reports on the underground networks, political violence and landmark court cases that got us to where we are today. -
A conservative group is suing the state over a 2024 ballot initiative enshrining abortion access in the Montana Constitution. And Montanans will soon be able to apply for a property tax rebate approved by state lawmakers earlier this year.
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Montana’s newest constitutional right took effect this month — the right to terminate a pregnancy. A challenge to its legality is trying to find footing.
