The U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to reinstate Montana’s Parental Consent for Abortion Act leaves parental rights in the dust—Montana parents now officially have less say over their minor child’s abortion than over their curfew, thanks to the relentless march of judicial activism and the new breed of “privacy” crusaders.
At a Glance
- The Supreme Court declined to hear Montana’s appeal, keeping the state’s Parental Consent for Abortion Act permanently blocked.
- Montana’s Supreme Court had already ruled the law unconstitutional, citing the state’s right-to-privacy protections.
- Minors in Montana can obtain abortions without parental consent, a move celebrated by abortion advocates and decried by parents’ rights supporters.
- Montana’s 2024 constitutional amendment further entrenches abortion rights, making future parental involvement laws nearly impossible.
Supreme Court Lets Parental Rights Get Steamrolled—Again
Montana parents just learned that their ability to protect, guide, or even be notified about their daughters’ most serious medical decisions is officially “unconstitutional.” The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Montana’s plea to reinstate its Parental Consent for Abortion Act, letting a state court decision stand that brands the entire concept of parental involvement as a violation of “privacy.” In 2013, the Montana legislature passed a law demanding minors under 18 get notarized, written parental consent before an abortion—an act so radical, so out-of-step with “progressive” values, that Planned Parenthood immediately sued to stop it from ever taking effect. That’s right: for over a decade, the law sat in legal limbo, blocked by a parade of judicial decrees, while the so-called advocates for “choice” celebrated each procedural victory as another brick in their wall against parental authority.
The final blow came in July 2025 when the Supreme Court washed its hands of the case, refusing to disturb the Montana Supreme Court’s ruling. The state’s highest court had already declared, in no uncertain terms, that Montana’s right-to-privacy clause effectively grants minors an unchallengeable right to abortion—no parent required, no questions asked. The spectacle of this decision, cheered on by activists and rubber-stamped by judges, is a slap in the face to every parent who still believes in family values, responsibility, and the basic right to know what’s happening to their own children.
Montana’s Privacy Clause: A Legal Sledgehammer Against Parental Consent
The roots of this fiasco go back to 1999, when Montana’s Supreme Court interpreted the state’s privacy clause to create a constitutional right to abortion—an interpretation that has since become a battering ram against any attempt to involve parents in their children’s most critical life decisions. In 2012, Montana voters approved a law requiring parental notification before a minor’s abortion. Apparently that wasn’t extreme enough for the left, so the legislature tried to go further with the Parental Consent Act in 2013—yet the ink was barely dry before Planned Parenthood ran to court, arguing that even a parent’s signature was a violation of a minor’s “fundamental right to privacy.”
That argument found a sympathetic ear in Montana’s judiciary. By 2023, a district judge ruled the consent law unconstitutional, and by 2024, the state Supreme Court had affirmed the decision. The real kicker? In 2024, Montana voters—no doubt prodded by a well-funded campaign—approved a “Right to Abortion Initiative,” amending the state constitution to explicitly enshrine abortion rights for everyone, minors included. Now, any attempt to revive parental consent is not just blocked by precedent, but by a constitutional amendment designed to shut down debate for good.
Who Wins and Who Loses: The Fallout for Families and the Rule of Law
The biggest winners are the abortion industry and its legal allies, who have systematically dismantled every attempt to give parents a voice in their children’s health decisions. Planned Parenthood of Montana celebrated the court’s decision as a “victory for minors’ autonomy”—translation: a victory for bypassing parents. Healthcare providers are spared the “burden” of paperwork and accountability, while state officials are left powerless to legislate even the most basic parental safeguards. For parents, it’s another lesson in how little their authority matters when the left decides a “fundamental right” is at stake.
The losers, as always, are the families left out of the loop. Montana’s government—supposedly acting on behalf of its citizens—has been blocked from even requiring a notification, much less consent, before a life-altering medical procedure. The Parental Consent Act is dead. The Parental Notification Act is on life support, still tangled up in litigation. The message from the courts and activists is clear: if you think as a parent you have any say in your child’s abortion decision, think again. And for every parent across America still clinging to the belief that family values mean something, Montana’s saga is a warning—when radical activists capture the courts and rewrite constitutions, common sense and parental rights become the casualties.
Sources:
KTVH: Montana Supreme Court overturns 2013 abortion consent law
Montana Free Press: Montana Supreme Court strikes down abortion law requiring parental consent
