Governor Gianforte Signs 15-Week Abortion Ban
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 16th, 2023
CONTACT
hadley@montanademocrats.org
Helena, MT – Today, Governor Greg Gianforte signed HB 721, which would effectively ban all abortion in Montana after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
“This abortion ban is cruel, unconstitutional, and an affront to all Montanans,” says Sheila Hogan, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. “Gov. Gianforte signing this ban into law makes clear that Republicans will stop at nothing to take away Montanans’ rights and freedoms. Health care decisions should be between women, their families, and their doctors – not Republican politicians. Make no mistake, Montana Democrats will fight back against this unconstitutional ban with everything we’ve got.”
This marks the ninth anti-abortion bill the Governor has signed following the 68th Legislative session:
SB 154 tries to explicitly carve out the right to reproductive care from the Constitution’s privacy clause
HB 937 imposes more red tape for unnecessary supplemental licensures for clinics that provide abortion
HB 544 and HB 862 restrict abortion access for Medicaid recipients
HB 575 expands an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest as well as requiring unnecessary, forced ultrasounds on Montanans who choose to have an abortion
HB 625 mimics the anti-abortion referendum that voters soundly rejected in 2022
HB 786 imposes new red tape for Montanans who access medication abortion
HB 303 inflicts new bureaucracy for Medicaid beneficiaries who need access to medically-necessary abortions, including allowing medical providers to refuse to provide abortions to patients
Last week, the Montana Supreme Court upheld the 1999 Armstrong Ruling, which found that abortion is protected by the state’s constitutional right to privacy.
All nine of the bills in the Governor’s anti-abortion assault restrict Montanans’ constitutional right to privacy. Following last week’s court ruling, the Governor is knowingly dragging the state into costly legal battles when these laws are challenged in court.
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