Daines: SupCo opinion would right ‘historic injustice;’ Tester sees government overreach
Montana Sen. Steve Daines on Tuesday condemned the leaking of a U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion that will likely strike down Roe. V. Wade if the decision takes effect later this year.
The opinion, first reported by Politico, has been widely circulated by the national media, detailing the court's decision to overturn a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.
“Leaking a draft opinion by the Supreme Court is unprecedented and reprehensible,” Daines said in a statement. “There should be an immediate investigation into who is responsible as it is a clear attempt to intimidate the Court.”
The leaked opinion was written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, who suggested that “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start.” In the writing, Alito added that the Supreme Court's decision granting a woman's right to an abortion 49 years ago was “exceptionally weak, and the decision has damaging consequences.”
Stemming from a challenge to Mississippi’s 15-week ban on all abortions, the case before the court presented conservatives their best opportunity to overturn the 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade.
Danes, founder and chair of the Senate's Pro-Life Caucus, said he agreed with the court's opinion.
“If the draft opinion stands, the Court will have righted an historic injustice and returned the power to the American people and their elected officials to enact laws to protect unborn children and mothers,” Daines said.
Sen. Jon Tester said a woman's reproductive choices should be her decision alone, not a matter of the government.
“For nearly 50 years, women have been able to make their own private healthcare decisions without interference from the federal government. If reports are accurate and this draft decision stands, the removal of that fundamental right will have devastating consequences for millions of women across this country,” Tester said.
Statements from other state leaders:
House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, D-Helena
“If this decision holds, Montanans’ right to access abortion care is under greater attack than ever before. It is clear that some politicians will not stop until they can control even the most intimate aspects of our private decision making. Our state’s Constitutional right to privacy has never been more critical, and Montana’s Democratic legislators will fight tooth and nail to defend it.”
Montana Democratic Party
"If this draft becomes the Majority Ruling, the Montana Constitution's protections for our private health care decisions, including abortion, will be under attack. The Montana GOP is coming for our Constitution and our Right to Privacy. They have made it clear that they won’t stop until they control even the most personal, private decisions. We won’t let them."