Abhortion · State legal snapshot
Protected by constitution, viability limit. Abortion is constitutionally protected in Montana and legal until fetal viability, presumed at 24 weeks gestational age, with a life/health exception…
§ I · Gestational limit
│ Legal to viability; constitutional right · measured from fertilization · Mont. Code Ann. § 50-20-109
§ II · Restriction inventory — 15 checked, 4 in force
◐24-week ban · fertilizationIn force
●In-person visitsNone
◐Method ban · D&XIn force
●Physician-only lawNone
◐Parental notificationIn force
●Telehealth prescribing banNone
●Waiting periodNone
●Spousal consent or noticeNone
●Abortion trafficking lawNone
●Scripted counselingNone
●Civil bounty (SB8-style)None
✓Private insurance restrictionIn force
●Ultrasound requirementNone
●Pill-mailing banNone
●Self-managed abortion crimeNone
§ III · Access
Criminal exposure
Procedure
Coverage & interstate
Available now
Yes
Pregnant person
Expressly exempt
Waiting period
0 hours
Medicaid
Broader than Hyde
Medication · telehealth
Legal · telehealth allowed
Self-managed
Not a crime
Compelled visits
0 in person
Private insurance
Restricted
Who may perform
Physicians & APCs
Provider max penalty
Felony, fine up to $50,000, 5-10…
Minors
Parental notification
Shield state
No
Mailing pills
Not banned
Fetal homicide law
Yes · abortion carved out
Judicial bypass
Available
Major pending change
Yes · see p. 2
✓ Abolition-aligned — forbids abortion or imposes liability◐ Partial — a hurdle, an enjoined law, or a carve-out● No restriction○ Unclear or not applicable
§ IV · Why it is legal — governing authorities
Montana Constitution, Article II, Section 36 (CI-128), Mont. Const. art. II, § 36 — Explicit state constitutional right to abortion, effective July 1, 2025; protects…
■Montana Constitution, Article II, Section 10, Mont. Const. art. II, § 10 — The foundational privacy provision interpreted in Armstrong to protect procreative…
1999 ●Armstrong v. State (1999), Armstrong v. State, 1999 MT 261, 296 Mont.… — Established that Montana's constitutional right to privacy protects procreative…
“There is a right to make and carry out decisions about one's own pregnancy, including the right to abortion. The government may regulate the provision of abortion care after fetal viability provided that in no…”— Mont. Const. art. II, § 36
Fetal personhood — how the contradiction is walled off
✓ Mont. Code Ann. § 50-20-102(e)
“the state has a duty to protect innocent life and that duty has grown to a compelling point with respect to partial-birth abortion.”
Statutory personhood language exists
→
● Exempt · pregnant woman
Expressly exempt from all penalties
● Carved out · abortion
Abortion is not chargeable under the homicide statutes.
✓ Reached · third parties
Fetal homicide w/ abortion & woman carve-outs
Montana law contains a striking set of internal contradictions on fetal personhood. Wrongful death: Recognized for stillborn fetus.
§ V · Criminal exposure by actor
●
Pregnant woman
Expressly exempt from all penalties
✓
Physician
Felony exposure for prohibited conduct
●
Non-physician prescriber
Exposure for reporting violations
●
Helpers · funds
Constitutionally protected from penalty
●
Travel helpers
Protected by constitution; no…
●
Civil bounty
No civil bounty law
✓ the actor faces criminal or civil exposure under state law · ● no exposure · ○ unclear or theoretical
Penalties on the books — top 5
§ VI · How the law got here ● court ■ statute ◆ executive / agency
Montana Supreme Court strikes down Parental Consent for Abortion Act (2013) as violating minors' privacy and equal…
9 Oct 2024●Montana Supreme Court affirms preliminary injunction against Medicaid abortion restrictions (HB 544, HB 862, DPHHS…
5 Nov 2024■Montana voters approve CI-128, the Right to Abortion Initiative, amending the Montana Constitution to explicitly…
10 Mar 2025●Montana District Court permanently enjoins D&E ban (§ 50-20-1003) and direct-to-patient telehealth medication…
11 Mar 2025●Montana District Court permanently enjoins HB 544, HB 862, and DPHHS rule restricting Medicaid coverage of abortion.
9 Jun 2025●Montana Supreme Court in Knudsen (2025 MT 120) affirms permanent injunction of 20-week abortion ban, telemedicine…
1 Jul 2025■CI-128 takes effect, adding Article II, Section 36 to the Montana Constitution — the explicit right to make and carry…
3 Jul 2025●U.S. Supreme Court denies certiorari in Montana v.
§ VII · Exceptions matrix
Named in law: ◐ the exception is written into the ban · ✓ no such exception · ● no ban for an exception to operate against. Verified (neutral): ✓ quoted text confirmed at source · ◐ semi-verified · ○ verify before publication · — not applicable.
§ VIII · Interstate & helpers
✓ No shield law
Not a shield state; not hostile either
● Travel unrestricted
No restrictions on out-of-state travel
● Telehealth prescribing allowed
Telehealth permitted
● Pill mailing not banned
No state prohibition
● Funding help protected
Protected; no funding restrictions in effect
● Providing information
Protected First Amendment activity
Interstate postureMontana has not enacted a shield law protecting providers or patients from out-of-state investigations. It also has not enacted laws targeting cross-border abortion activity. CI-128 protects helpers…
§ IX · Who pays
Broad coverage; restrictions enjoined
Life
Hyde · federal
Rape
Hyde · federal
Incest
Hyde · federal
Medically necessary
State-only funds
No mandate; no ban on private coverage
Exchange plans restricted
●No defunding law in effect
§ X · Pending changes status and effect as recorded — no forecast
Planned Parenthood v. State (Medicaid restrictions appeal)State's appeal of permanent injunction against HB 544, HB 862, and DPHHS rule pending before Montana Supreme…
If reversed, Montana Medicaid would no longer cover abortion beyond Hyde minimums (life, rape, incest), would require prior authorization, and would exclude APCs from…
LitigationAll Families Healthcare v. Montana (HB 937 clinic licensure…State's appeal of preliminary injunction against abortion clinic licensure law pending; Montana Supreme Court…
If HB 937 takes effect, abortion clinics providing medication abortion to 5+ patients annually or performing any procedural abortion would need a special state license…
LitigationChallenge to Parental Notice of Abortion Act (LR-120)Constitutional challenge pending in Montana district court; state seeks dismissal
If the Notice Act is struck down, no parental involvement would be required for minors seeking abortion in Montana. If upheld, the 48-hour notice requirement for minors…
LitigationState appeal of D&E ban permanent injunctionState's appeal of permanent injunction against D&E ban (§ 50-20-1003) pending before Montana Supreme Court,…
If reversed, D&E — the most common second-trimester abortion method — would be criminalized as a felony with fines up to $50,000, 5-10 years prison, and license…
§ XI · Key authorities ● case ■ statute ◆ agency
■Montana Constitution, Article II, Section 36 (CI-128) Mont. Const. art. II, § 36
■Montana Constitution, Article II, Section 10 Mont. Const. art. II, § 10
●Armstrong v. State (1999) Armstrong v. State, 1999 MT 261, 296 Mont. 361, 989 P.2d…
●Planned Parenthood v. State (Knudsen) (2025) Planned Parenthood of Mont. v. State by & through…
●Planned Parenthood v. State (parental consent) (2024) Planned Parenthood v. State, 2024 MT 178, cert. denied,…
●Weems v. State (2023) Weems v. State, 2023 MT 82, 412 Mont. 132, 529 P.3d 798
■Montana Abortion Control Act — Viability Ban Mont. Code Ann. § 50-20-109
■Montana Abortion Control Act — Penalties & Woman… Mont. Code Ann. § 50-20-112
■Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Mont. Code Ann. § 50-20-401
■Fetal Homicide and Exemptions Mont. Code Ann. §§ 45-5-102(1)(c), 45-5-116
■Qualified Health Plan Abortion Coverage Restriction Mont. Code Ann. § 33-22-116
●Strzelczyk v. Jett (1994) Strzelczyk v. Jett, No. 93-173 (Mont. 1994)