According to The Montana Free Press, “Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte on Tuesday announced signing four abortion restrictions into law, including an immediate ban on dilation and evacuation abortions, the most common type of procedure after about 15 weeks of pregnancy. The governor’s office said other bills signed this week included two restrictions on Medicaid coverage for abortion and stricter regulations for clinics. … Gianforte’s sanctioning of the long-standing conservative agenda also came days after the Montana Supreme Court upheld a nearly 25-year-old legal precedent allowing abortion access under the state Constitution’s right to privacy.”
Two important points here. First, Montana’s state supreme court found a constitutional right to an abortion, but, of course, that will never stop RepubliKKKlans, who want a total ban. But such a complete ban cannot be overt. It must be achieved through subterfuge and beguilement. RepubliKKKlans will skillfully proclaim a 15-week ban is the new national consensus, and it is more than double the oppressive 6-week ban that many red states are enacting. Montana RepubliKKKlans will convince their women of the generosity of their “pragmatic” legislation. But that is where the second point comes into play. Notice in the suite of abortion legislation that Gianforte signed the “stricter regulations for clinics” reference. This is where the state will effectively ban all abortions. This is what other red states did while Roe was still the law of the land. Many conservative states made clinics impossible to operate, with some states only allowing one abortion clinic to operate in the entire state. This will be Montana’s aim. Technically, abortion will be legal up to the “generous” 15-week threshold, but you just won’t be able to find someone to perform it. And women will just accept it because no one cares — enough. Welcome to stupid America!