HELENA — Montana senators had intense and emotional conversations on Thursday while debating a bill that would change laws relating to chemical abortions.
Supporters say it is for the health of our environment, while opponents say it is a bill that aims to criminalize abortion.
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"This bill simply ensures that when abortions are conducted at home, that the toxic and dangerous results of the chemical abortion are not dumped into our drinking water. We heard one proponent in the committee who put it this way: 'As a result, we are drinking other people's abortions,'" said Sen. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton.
She proposed Senate Bill 479, which would add conditions to chemical abortions.
These conditions include healthcare providers being required to examine the patient before physically, be on location when the patient takes the abortion pill, and provide the patient with a catch kit and medical waste bag, which would need to be disposed of by manufacturers of the abortion drug.
"If the bill were really about protecting a clean and healthful environment, I would suggest that other drugs are a heck of a lot more likely to impact the environment, as well as our citizens that are not being tested for in this bill.," Sen. Janet Ellis, D-Helena, said.
Opponents of the bill brought up Montana voters' support for CI 128 during the November election, with the initiative passing by nearly 60%.
"When the comments are made that the people of Montana have spoken. Remember that in the lifetime of my grandmother, the people spoke about how slavery was permissible. [As] was the separation of the races permissible," said Sen. John Fuller, R-Kalispell.
The bill would also place possible fines and prison time on healthcare providers for not following these conditions and manufacturers if they do not properly discard the waste.
Sen. Laura Smith, D-Helena, said, "They were so concerned that if I gave birth, my child wouldn't have a mother. I would really encourage this body to think about the unintended consequences of criminalizing drugs that are pro-life, that save women's lives."
SB 479 is almost identical to legislation proposed in the house, which was tabled during committee earlier this session.
SB 479 failed on the second reading with a deadlocked vote of 25 to 25.
