Montana ‘Personhood’ Amendment (LC 1580)

LC 1580 was a prefiled “personhood” bill that It would have amended the Montana Constitution to define “person” to include all members of the species Homo sapiens at any stage of development, and would have given full constitutional rights to fertilized eggs, embryos, and fetuses. It would have banned abortion, birth control pills, IUDs, and emergency contraception. In addition, it would have eliminated certain medical choices for women, including some cancer treatments and in vitro fertilization, and might have led to investigation and prosecution of women who miscarry to determine if their own actions caused the death of the fetus.

STATUS

This bill would have put a “personhood” amendment on the November 2014 ballot. It is is identical to a similar bill that was introduced and failed to pass in 2011 (HB 490).

People