News & Commentary

Jay Harris, Big Horn County Attorney, has announced a “crackdown policy” that targets pregnant women who use alcohol or drugs. Nine organizations who advocate for the health and safety of pregnant woman have voiced their opposition of this policy, which places the health of pregnant women and their families at risk while failing to address the issue of addiction and rehabilitation.

Three bills that would ban abortion are still moving through the Montana legislature. The bans in these bills span the pregnancy timeline, showing that the true intent behind all of this legislation is to eliminate abortion as an option for Montana women. Two bills would ban abortion later in pregnancy (one at 20 weeks and another at "near-viability"); the third bill would prohibit not only abortion from all stages of pregnancy but also birth control, emergency treatment for ectopic pregnancies, and more. The scattershot approach and blatant unconstitutionality of all three measures demonstrates supporters’ desire to get anything passed that will make progress toward the ultimate goal of eliminating a woman’s right to determine the course of her own pregnancy.

The ACLU of Montana was proud to welcome Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the national American Civil Liberties Union to Montana. While in Montana, Mr. Romero delivered lectured in both Missoula and Bozeman.  

End of Session 2015 - Summary and Highlights

The United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice approved the Mandela Rules last week.  The Mandela Rules are named in honor of the late South African President Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned for 27 years by the country's apartheid regime. They are the revised United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. These rules are the leading international body of principles on the treatment of prisoners, but they were drafted in 1955 and were badly in need of updating.

ACLU of Montana  -  End of Session Summary and Highlights