Voters in Montana decide against ‘born alive’ measure in midterms

Montana voters took to the polls on Tuesday to voice their opinions on candidates as well as ballot measures including one that would require healthcare professionals to administer any care required to try and preserve the life of a baby born alive, regardless of the circumstances.

The measure would impose criminal charges on healthcare providers who did not intervene to keep babies alive even if they had been born with major birth defects and were not expected to live long. The bill includes cases where a baby is born after an attempted abortion. 

Opponents of the bill say it would deny mothers and families the short time they may have with their babies who don’t live long outside the womb due to birth defects and other conditions.

The vote was not a landslide, with 52.55 percent of voters rejecting the measure, and 47.45 voting to enact it.

The measure specifically stated that medical professionals who did not “take medically appropriate and reasonable actions” to keep a baby alive in such instances would face a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and up to $50,000 in fines.

“Today’s win sends a clear message to state leadership: Montanans demand our right to make private health care decisions for ourselves and our families with the help of our trusted medical teams — and without interference from politicians,” said Hillary-Anne Crosby, a spokesperson for Compassion for Montana Families. 

Montana joined a handful of other states with abortion measures on their midterm ballots, including Vermont, California and Kentucky, whose voters chose to back abortion rights, and Michigan, which voted to enshrine abortion rights into its state constitution.

The Montana election is yet another win for abortion rights activists and supporters in this year’s midterms, the first major election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.