Dr. Kylla Benes

ALT A red graphic of people holding signs. On top of the graphic is text saying “Undoing 50 years,” and “A bill from the state Legislature would shift Montanans’ privacy rights. Abortion access hangs in the balance.”

ALT On a red slide is text saying “In Montana, abortion is currently protected by a 1999 state supreme court ruling, Armstrong v. State of Montana. The court interpreted the right to privacy, explicitly written into Montana’s constitution, as protecting a woman’s ability to receive an abortion. But a recent bill proposed in the state legislature aims to change that.”

ALT A map showing where abortions have 6 week abortion restrictions, full bans on abortions and restrictive bans.

ALT A photo of Sen. Theresa Manzella R-Hamilton, Sen. Barry Usher R-Billings, Sen. Keith Regier R-Kalispell, legislative services staff member Julianne Burkhardt and Sen. Jen Gross D-Billings hear testimony in the Senate Judiciary Committee. On top is a quote from Keith Regier saying “I don’t know whether the courts really have ruled on that word ‘individual’ and how it fits into abortion. So I think that makes the bill really important. We need to revisit that from a constitutional standpoint.” A quote from Jeremy Johnson saying “Ultimately, the Supreme Court will make interpretations in light of the Montana constitution” There is also text saying “Johnson, the Carroll College political scientist, said with the Armstrong case this has been decided in court already. He thinks that, should the bill pass and be brought to court, the argument Regier is making won’t stand.”