Overview

• The Supreme Court declined to hear Montana’s appeal on July 3, preventing enforcement of the parental consent requirement for minors seeking abortions.
• Enacted in 2013, the law would have mandated notarized parental consent or a youth court waiver before a minor could obtain an abortion.
• A 2024 Montana Supreme Court decision found the measure violated the state constitution’s privacy clause, affirming minors’ rights to reproductive autonomy.
• Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas issued a concurrence calling the case a “poor vehicle” while warning their refusal does not reject federal parental rights arguments.
• Montana remains unique among Republican-led states after a 2024 voter-approved amendment guaranteed abortion rights under its constitution.