March 5, 2024
If you ever need proof that pro-life victories still require eternal vigilance, look no further than the State of Montana, where three strong pro-life laws were declared unconstitutional by a District Court Judge. Two of these laws were championed by Students for Life Action (SFLAction), who testified in January 2021 in support of their passage.
According to the reporting by NPR: “Three Montana laws restricting abortion rights, including a ban on abortions after 20 weeks, have been struck down in court as unconstitutional.
District Court Judge Kurt Krueger wrote in his ruling that the regulations attempt to impose severe burdens on abortion access without clear justification or credible evidence.
The laws, passed by the Montana legislature in 2021, would have banned abortion at 20 weeks, barred doctors from prescribing medication abortions via telehealth services, required a 24-hour waiting period for medication abortions, and would have required doctors to offer an ultrasound before an abortion.”
The great news up front – Attorney General of Montana Austin Knudsen will appeal this decision to the Montana Supreme Court is committed to “protecting the health and safety of women and unborn babies.” So, the fight to get these laws back into effect is just getting started.
As NPR reported, one of the laws affected is HB 171, Abortion Inducing Drug Risk Protocol, which prevents the distribution of dangerous Chemical Abortion Pills via telehealth, reducing the risk of abuse of these drugs by rapists and abusers. It also reinforces health and safety standards to protect women’s lives and future fertility. The law also implemented a requirement for a 24-hour waiting period before obtaining.
As we’ve written extensively on the SFLAction blog, and our sister site Students for Life of America (SFLA), Chemical Abortion represents an enormous risk to women and preborn babies alike, despite the myths perpetuated by the abortion industry and their enablers in the government and the press. In truth, Chemical Abortion Pills:
- Are more than half of all abortions across America.
- Are four times more likely to cause complications than surgical abortion.
- Have a risk of death that is ten times higher,
- Can be ineffective later in pregnancy, or when a woman has an ectopic pregnancy (one that takes place outside the womb), which affects up to 2 percent of women.
- Can harm women’s future fertility if handed out without proper screening and treatment for blood type.
The FDA has reported that between 5 and 7 percent of women who take Chemical Abortion Pills will need a follow-up surgery to end the pregnancy. An Australian study noted that up to 8 percent of women who took the pills in that country ended up in an emergency room. Similar math is even reported by the abortion industry.
To see the real truth about Chemical Abortion, visit https://thisischemicalabortion.com/
The other piece of SFLAction-supported legislation affected by this ruling is HB 140. According to reporting by The Idaho Capital Sun, this law requires providers to provide two forms of ultrasound and fetal heart tones and imposes civil penalties for providers who don’t offer them HB 140. This law, according to reporting by The Idaho Capital Sun, requires providers to provide two forms of ultrasound and fetal heart tones, and imposes civil penalties for providers who don’t offer it.
The music of a heartbeat has been a universal sign of life whether in the womb or in any loved one, from conception to natural death. There are stories of many women who have had their minds changed by the sound of their child’s heartbeat, or at seeing an ultrasound of their child.
Protecting preborn life with a confirmed heartbeat follows the science. From the American Pregnancy Association: “Generally, 6 ½ – 7 weeks is the time when a heartbeat can be detected, and viability can be assessed. A normal heartbeat at 6-7 weeks would be 90-110 beats per minute. The presence of an embryonic heartbeat is an assuring sign of the health of the pregnancy.”
SFLAction proudly champions many different Heartbeat Protection laws, notably in Florida, New Hampshire, and Nebraska among others.
Stay tuned to the SFLAction blog for more updates on this legal battle.