HELENA – The Senate is endorsing a bill making it illegal to kill an unborn child except in cases of medical procedures.
Republican supporters argued safeguards in the bill protect a woman from being charged in some way for the death of her own unborn child and say it has nothing to do with abortion — although the measure is backed by abortion opponents.
The measure was endorsed Wednesday by the Senate 28-20. It has already cleared the House.
Opponents argued there are much better ways to more strictly enforce crimes against pregnant women than by launching a “personhood” debate over unborn fetuses. Democrats argued it would be better to simply enhance crimes against pregnant women than create a new crime that exposes a woman’s medical records to scrutiny in criminal proceedings.