State legislation passed in 2021 would have prohibited abortions after 20 weeks and restricted medication abortions. Another bill would have required providers to ask parents if they wanted to see an ultrasound or listen to a heartbeat before getting an abortion.
Planned Parenthood sued the state, and a lower court ruled in its favor, declaring the laws unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court agreed. It said the bills restricted Montanans’ personal autonomy and right to privacy in making reproductive care decisions. The ruling released on Tuesday is based on the Court’s 1999 Armstrong decision, which said the state Constitution’s privacy guarantee protects abortion care.
Gov. Greg Gianforte in a statement said the decision lacked common sense and called the justices “activists.”
Planned Parenthood CEO Martha Fuller said it protected access to critical health care for Montanans.
