{"id":286757,"date":"2023-03-07T14:42:17","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T20:42:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=286757"},"modified":"2023-03-06T17:54:21","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T23:54:21","slug":"montana-judge-blocks-parental-consent-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/montana-judge-blocks-parental-consent-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana judge blocks parental consent law, says kids’ ‘privacy’ can trump parents"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

After a decade-long limbo of a preliminary injunction, a Montana judge has <\/span>permanently blocked<\/span><\/a> the state\u2019s law requiring minors under 16 to obtain the consent of their parents at least 48 hours before getting an abortion, while noting that a trial is necessary to determine if the state’s parental notification law should remain in place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Judge Chris Abbott of the Lewis and Clark County District Court wrote in his decision that the parental consent law was unconstitutional and unenforceable, while also leaving some provisions in place. He likewise acknowledged that the legislature is currently in session, meaning they could take up the issue to pass another law if desired.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Montana\u2019s parental consent law has its origins in a 2012 ballot measure called the Parental Notice of Abortion Act, which required only <\/span>notification<\/span><\/i> prior to an abortion and was approved <\/span>by a wide margin<\/span><\/a> of voters. However, before the law was enacted, state legislators changed the bill to require parental <\/span>consent<\/span><\/i> with signatures. <\/span><\/p>\n

The change became necessary because abortionists were instructing minors seeking abortions to send notification letters to fake addresses, <\/span>according to Jeff Laszloffy<\/span><\/a>, President of the Montana Family Foundation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet before the parental consent law went into effect, the state AG issued an injunction in response to a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood. By February 2022, when no action had been taken for several years, the current state AG withdrew the office\u2019s consent to the preliminary injunction, resulting in the hearing before Judge Abbott that happened later that same year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow before the court are two statutes: One, enacted by the people, requiring parental notice prior to an abortion, the other, enacted by the legislature, requiring parental consent,\u201d Abbott\u2019s decision read in the <\/span>Independent Record<\/span><\/a>. \u201cWhether these are popular or wise measures or reflect sound public policy is not for this court to decide, for the legislature (or the people, in the cases of initiative and referendum) holds the power to make law.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Montana\u2019s state constitution guarantees a \u201cright to privacy,\u201d and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana CEO Martha Fuller considers it <\/span>one of the strongest privacy protections in the nation<\/span><\/a>. Previously, under the now-overturned <\/span>Roe v. Wade<\/span><\/i> decision, abortion was considered \u201cprotected\u201d under such a \u201cright to privacy\u201d because abortion was considered a medical decision. However, an induced abortion kills a human being and therefore cannot reasonably considered\u00a0<\/span>health care<\/span><\/a>, and the direct, intentional killing of a preborn human being is\u00a0<\/span>never medically necessary<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

But the state <\/span>Supreme Court <\/span>found<\/span><\/a> that this provision in the state\u2019s constitution protected abortion until viability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Walgreens<\/p>\n

Judge Abbott wrote the state\u2019s privacy requirement was the reason he permanently blocked the law, saying sometimes the interests of children differ from their parents, and their \u201cprivacy\u201d should be upheld. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMinors can abstain from consuming alcohol or getting a tattoo with little effect on their futures, but the same cannot be said of keeping a pregnancy or having an abortion,\u201d he said according to the <\/span>Daily Montanan<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThere are few decisions with higher or longer-lasting stakes in life than whether to become or stay pregnant, and even fewer (if any) with equally profound spiritual, physical, mental, social, and economic considerations. The complexity of the dilemma only reinforces its individuality and therefore its place at the core of personal privacy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Laszloffy summed up the state of affairs. \u201cWe did not win, but we also did not lose. It\u2019s more of a mixed bag,\u201d he said in a <\/span>podcast<\/span><\/a>. \u201cIn short, the judge permanently enjoined the <\/span>consent<\/span><\/i> provision but allowed the <\/span>notification<\/span><\/i> provision to remain in place while the case goes to full trial. Another win for our side was the fact that the judge acknowledged serious and credible arguments on both sides that will have to be solved at trial.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Did you know that as little as $10 a month is enough to reach more than 3,000 people with the truth about abortion that no one else is telling them? Click here to start saving lives 365 days a year.<\/a><\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a decade-long limbo of a preliminary injunction, a Montana judge has permanently blocked the state\u2019s law requiring minors under 16 to obtain the consent of their parents at least 48 hours before getting an abortion, while noting that a trial is necessary to determine if the state’s parental notification law should remain in place. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":606,"featured_media":227033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[3473,11],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nMontana judge blocks parental consent law, says kids' 'privacy' can trump parents<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The judge said he blocked the law over the state privacy rule, saying the "privacy" interests of children may differ from parents' and should be upheld.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/montana-judge-blocks-parental-consent-law\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Montana judge blocks parental consent law, says kids' 'privacy' can trump 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