Anti-transgender, abortion bills pass house

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (1) – 1/27/21

House Bills 136, 140, 171 and 167 passed the Montana House this week, each aimed at limiting a woman’s right to legal abortion in Montana. The measures restrict abortion after 20 weeks, require ultrasounds before the procedure, restrict a woman’s accessibility to abortion pills and propose legal repercussions for healthcare providers if they are found to have not provided life-sustaining care for newborns. These four bills “are the first of many anticipated proposals attempting to chip away at the legal right to receive an abortion in Montana,” writes the Montana Free Press. House Bills 112 and 113, aimed at limited transgender rights, also passed the house, but as of Tuesday, 113 died on the floor. The bills prohibit transgender women from competing in women’s school sport’s teams and prohibit healthcare providers from prescribing certain treatments, including hormone therapy, for youth with gender dysphoria.