GOP legislators decry failure of anti-abortion bills

By MOLLY PRIDDY
Community News Service
UM School of Journalism

HELENA – Twenty-nine Republican lawmakers gathered in the capitol today to blast Democrats for the Legislature’s failure last night to revive five anti-abortion bills that remain locked in committee.

“Last night, Democrats essentially voted to muzzle the people of Montana on one of the most important issues of our time: abortion,” said Rep. Wendy Warburton, R-Havre (pictured).

Warburton said most of Democrats vote for pro-abortion measures, whereas Republicans are “fighting for life.”

Sen. Dan McGee, R-Laurel, sponsored two of the bills, Senate Bill 46 and Senate Bill 406. Both sought to amend the state constitution to set the foundation for future abortion bans. Republicans last night fell short of the 60 votes necessary to "blast" the bills from committee to the House floor.

“It is truly unfortunate that the big business of killing babies has so persuaded the Democratic Party,” McGee said.

McGee said Republicans attempted to work with Democrats on these issues but it did not seem to take. He also compared abortion with slavery and predicted an upheaval comparable to the Civil War. “You bet there will be,” McGee said.

Democratic House Speaker Bob Bergren said these failed "blast" motions are typical fare for the Legislature and his party. “Democrats support the constitutional rights of all women,” Bergren said.

Bergren said he found it ironic this same group of legislators opposes “proactive measures” against abortion, such as sex education and contraception for the poor. He also said it was indicative that 23 of the 29 Republicans at the press conference were men.

“Where are all the women if this is good for women?” Bergren said.

Allyson Hagen of the Naral Pro-Choice Montana Foundation, said despite GOP assertions of civic upheaval, Montanans do not support these measures.

“Montanans are actually grateful that these bills didn’t pass,” Hagen said. “In Montana, we greatly value the right to keep the government out of our personal, private medical decisions.”

SB 46 would have defined unborn human life as a compelling state interest, allowing the state to interject itself in personal privacy issues. SB 406 would have defined personhood at conception in the Montana Constitution. Previous attempts to ban abortion have been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court because of privacy concerns.

The other failed bills included Senate Bill 374, which would make parental notification of a minor’s abortion mandatory; Senate Bill 327, which would heighten charges brought against someone who assaults a pregnant woman and hurts the fetus; and House Bill 661, which sought to create licenses and more regulations for abortion clinics.

The four Senate bills passed out of the GOP-controlled Senate with narrow margins, usually running on party lines. They hit a partisan wall in the evenly split House committees, where a tie vote means means the bills are probably dead.