The U.S. Supreme Court on July 3 rejected Montana’s request to reinstate a long-blocked law that requires parental consent before a doctor may perform an abortion on a minor.
Although the state’s Parental Consent for Abortion Act was enacted in 2013, it has been held up in litigation since then and has never taken effect. The law would require girls under the age of 18 to obtain notarized, written parental consent before seeking an abortion unless a judicial waiver is granted.
Montana’s Constitution has recognized a right to abortion since 1999. Current state law allows abortions until a fetus is deemed viable outside the womb, usually around 24 weeks. In November 2024, state voters approved the “Right to Abortion Initiative.” The measure amended the state constitution to include a “right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion.”…