In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v Wade, many are left wondering where Montana stands on the issue. All of Montana’s neighboring states – Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming – have “trigger laws” in place that will automatically ban most or all abortions . That could mean greater demand for abortion services in Montana where abortion is still legal and protected, at least for now. In 1999, the Montana Supreme Court ruled in Armstrong v. State that the state constitution’s guaranteed right to privacy, allowed women to have an abortion before fetal viability. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Republican leaders in the Legislature have called for reversing Armstrong. House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, D-Helena, said she doesn’t believe most people in the state want to see the right of privacy reinterpreted. The case where Knudsen called for Armstrong to be overturned is currently before the Montana Supreme Court. Planned Parenthood v. State was assigned to a five-justice panel on May 11. Clerk of the Supreme Court Bowen Greenwood said there’s no specific timeline for when the court could act on the case, but they generally rule within 180 days of assigning a case to a panel.
Comments