The ACLU of Montana often takes positions on state, city and county proposals that would impact civil liberties and civil rights, and actively lobbies the Montana State Legislature on civil liberties issues. The ACLU is strictly non-partisan. We never support or oppose candidates for elective office. Additionally, the ACLU of Montana participates in ballot measure campaigns that affect civil liberties. Most recently, the ACLU of Montana joined with other members of Montanans for Safe and Healthy Families, a coalition of 25 organizations, to successfully keep off the November 2008 ballot a constitutional amendment (CI-100) intended to ban abortion in every circumstance.
2009 Legislative Session
The Montana State Legislature convened on Jan. 5 for its biennial regular session. Legislators introduced bills to curtail reproductive freedoms by amending the state constitution to place the state's interest in "unborn human life" above an individual's right to privacy and to extend the ability of state and local law enforcement to conduct invasive searches and detentions of suspected immigrants. The ACLU of Montana lobbied against legislative attempts to infringe upon fundamental individual rights and civil liberties.
Our legislative agenda was not merely reactionary, however. This session we pursued legislation to secure access to contraceptive care, ensure state and local resources are not commandeered for federal immigration enforcement and reform state drug laws. And, of course, our work as a member of the Montana Abolition Coalition to end the death penalty and replace it with life without parole was a top priority.
Results were mixed. The ACLU of Montana is extremely happy to be part of work to successfully protect privacy rights, access to reproductive health care, and immigrants' rights. We are disappointed that legislation to expand medical marijuana access and to abolish the death penalty failed to pass this year. Both came so close. Work to educate the public and state legislators changed many hearts and minds, laying the groundwork for legislative victory in 2011.
Click on this link to see the bills we watched and testified on this session.