Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has signed five pro-life bills this week.
"Today, we stand together – on the steps of the people's house – to mark another historic day for Montana," Gov. Gianforte said. "Today, we are protecting the lives of the most vulnerable amongst us: unborn children. Today, we're giving a voice to the voiceless, help to the helpless," he said while addressing Montana voters at the bill signing ceremony outside the state capitol, Fox News reports.
One of the bills protects babies born alive after a failed abortion. House Bill 625, or the Infant Safety and Care Act, requires medical professionals to provide life-saving medical care to such infants.
"We must protect the lives of the innocent – little babies who are born alive following a botched abortion," the governor said. "We are giving a voice to the voiceless and help to the helpless. We're establishing in Montana law that a baby born alive following an attempted abortion is a patient, a human being who deserves life-saving care and the right to life."
Another bill would protect healthcare workers who refuse to assist in performing an abortion because of ethical, moral, or religious objections from discrimination.
A third bill requires the reporting of women in the state who have been harmed by drugs, and another prohibits abortions for unborn children past 24 weeks unless the mother's life is endangered by the pregnancy.
The final bill clarifies the right to privacy under state law.
"I'm a fighter for the unborn. I will always stand on that ground," said GOP state Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway. She sponsored two of the bills.
"Our Constitution protects us at viability. That needed to be defined."
The governor will also consider two other bills: one that would prohibit taxpayer funds from being used to pay for abortions and another that would prevent Medicaid from covering elective abortions.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Justin Sullivan/Staff
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
