Jessica Valenti: Abortion, Every Day (1.18.23) Daily round-up of abortion issues

[Nevilledog]

https://jessica.substack.com/p/abortion-every-day-11823

In the states…

Abortion in Montana has been protected in the state’s constitution since 1999, when the state Supreme Court ruled that women’s health decisions were part of a right to privacy. Since Roe was overturned, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and Attorney General Austin Knudsen have tried to push the court to reverse that decision—efforts that have been unsuccessful thus far. And so Republicans in the state are trying a new tactic: They’ve introduced legislation—Senate Bill 154—that would codify the idea that the state constitution’s right to privacy does not include abortion.

In an interview with The New York Times Magazine last week, Rep. Keith Regier, who introduced the bill, told a reporter that all laws should be based on Judeo-Christian values: “The Ten Commandments were a good foundation for any country to live by.”

This is a really stark and frightening example of how far Republicans are willing to go: They’re essentially saying if the courts don’t give them the decision they want, they’ll simply ignore the ruling. Republican Bob Leach, for example, said “if the courts can’t define [privacy] right, the Legislature needs to take a stand.”

This similar to the Republican moves in Utah, where lawmakers are trying to change the standard by which courts issue injunctions—with the hope that doing so will make it harder for judges to continue to block the state’s abortion ban.

*snip*