Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen (Fox News)
Justice Laurie McKinnon, writing for the Montana Supreme Court, said "a minor's right to control her reproductive decisions is among the most fundamental of the rights she possesses" and that the state failed to demonstrate a compelling need for the law to protect minors, Reuters reported at the time.
Knudsen's appeal asks the U.S. Supreme Court to address whether parental rights include the ability to participate in decisions about a minor child’s medical care, including abortion.
The case highlights the ongoing debate over parental authority after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision.
"SCOTUS should hear the case and reverse the radical Montana Supreme Court’s bad decision allowing minors to receive abortions without parental consent," Knudsen said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"A child’s right to privacy does not supersede a parent’s fundamental right to direct the care and upbringing of their child. Until we get clarity from the Supreme Court, the health and safety of young Montanans seeking abortions is at risk."
Planned Parenthood Manhattan (Getty Images)
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The outcome could have broad implications for abortion access and parental consent laws nationwide because several states have passed "shield laws" recently, protecting medical providers from legal fallout for performing gender transition surgeries and abortions on minors.
For Knudsen's case to be heard before the court, at least four justices must agree to review it.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Planned Parenthood Montana for comment.
Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/montana-ag-asks-supreme-court-uphold-law-requiring-parental-consent-minors-abortion