Montana lawmaker: There’s a religious right to abortion

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Abortion rights teams are difficult abortion bans in some states by arguing the bans — supported by sure non secular rules — violate the non secular rights of individuals with totally different beliefs.

Conservative Christians for many years have argued that life begins at conception and abortion must be unlawful and 47 states have legal guidelines that permit well being care staff to decide out of offering abortions if that violates their non secular beliefs or morals.

In Montana, a state lawmaker who’s an ordained Jewish rabbi argues non secular freedom legal guidelines that defend well being care staff’ non secular beliefs also needs to defend abortion rights for individuals who belong to religions that help such rights.

“Evidently each side must be permitted to have equal protections for his or her non secular conscience,” stated Rep. Ed Stafman, a Democrat.

States have been creating their very own abortion legal guidelines after the U.S. Supreme Court docket overturned its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling final summer season. Abortion legal guidelines in Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Utah and Wyoming have confronted challenges on the premise of non secular freedom, in line with the Kaiser Household Basis. None of these instances have been resolved.

The Montana invoice faces unsure prospects within the state’s Republican-controlled legislature, however Stafman famous that a number of members of the Home Judiciary Committee that heard testimony on the invoice on Friday are members of the Montana Freedom Caucus, a gaggle of conservative lawmakers whose key points embrace non secular freedom.

Montana’s Home Judiciary Committee, together with the Home itself, have already handed a invoice this session increasing the state legislation to permit well being care staff to say no to take part in any medical procedures that violate their conscience or non secular beliefs.

Stafman’s invoice doesn’t say how the state would decide if non secular safety must be granted, however well being care services can ask for workers to submit in writing their non secular or ethical refusals to take part in abortions.

The Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid type for these looking for an exemption from a required COVID-19 vaccine requires only a signature and no rationalization. Below federal legislation, a person can search a spiritual exemption no matter whether or not the non secular beliefs, observances or practices are frequent or non-traditional and no matter whether or not they’re acknowledged by any organized faith.

Republicans on the committee questioned how far the proposed legislation might go in defending actions claimed as non secular beliefs, together with whether or not it ought to defend infanticide or the killing of people that violate non secular tenets.

“Do you admit then {that a} non secular exemption for killing a baby that has been born … exists beneath your premise behind this invoice?” Republican Rep. Lee Deming requested.

“No,” Stafman replied. “There’s no non secular exemption to kill a baby that’s been born beneath my invoice.”

There are limitations to non secular protections, “when there’s a very, very broad public consensus on morality like there may be round polygamy and definitely round homicide,” Stafman stated.

“On this case, the case of abortion, there actually isn’t any consensus,” he stated. Polls present society is split, as are totally different non secular communities, he stated.

Some non secular teams, together with the Roman Catholic Church, Assemblies of God, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Southern Baptist Conference, oppose abortion rights, with few to no exceptions, in accordance the Pew Analysis Heart.

The Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Methodist Church help abortion rights, with some limits. Conservative and Reform Judaism, the Presbyterian Church, Unitarian Universalist and the United Church of Christ help abortion rights with few or no limits, Pew stated.

Islam, Buddhism, the Nationwide Baptist Conference and Orthodox Judaism maintain no clear place on the process.

Judaism has an amazing respect for all times, Stafman stated, and it differentiates between a girl as a life and a fetus as a possible life.

Stafman stated he respects the non secular beliefs of those that got here to testify towards his invoice, quoting the Bible and scripture.

“These are honest non secular beliefs, however so are mine,” he stated.