Anti-abortion movement sees plenty of work ahead at Kalispell rally

There remains work left to do in the anti-abortion movement.

That was the message repeated by speakers and organizers of the annual March for Life rally in Kalispell on Saturday, an event organized by Flathead ProLife.

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, ending the federal right to obtain an abortion, abortion remains legal under Montana’s Constitution.

“It won’t be over until it’s over and we stop it because every life is precious,” said Laure Lee O’Neil, co-chair of Flathead ProLife.

Attendees gathered at Central Bible Church to listen to speakers, including Dr. Al Olszewski, who provided a legislative update, and Robin Sertell of Hamilton, who said she grew up with the knowledge she survived three saline abortion attempts that led to severe medical issues and feelings of rejection.

O’Neil said she was hoping this year’s rally would celebrate the passage of Montana LR-131, also known as the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. The rejected referendum would have required medical professionals to treat infants born alive, including after an attempted abortion, or face criminal penalties. Critics, who argued infanticide already is illegal in Montana, celebrated the referendum’s downfall in November as a defeat for government overreach.

“This year in particular, we were hoping to be able to celebrate the passage of LR-131,” O’Neil said. “We have been praying for a bill to be passed that the right to life and life begins at conception.”

Despite the setback, O’Neil looked optimistically upon future efforts.

“What a celebration we will have when we become a state that bans abortion and we will keep working until that happens. We certainly have a lot of pro-life legislators, both in Congress and in Montana. I guess the big thing now is we have to work on pro-life judges,” she said, in addition to raising awareness, praying, speaking out, voting and forgiving people who have had abortions.

Like Olszewski, she put the focus on judges and the state’s judicial branch. Other speakers echoed that sentiment.

“They can nullify laws by just their rulings,” said Flathead ProLife Chair Charles Lorentzen.

Lorentzen has attended the organization’s annual rally for roughly 30 of the 40 years it’s been held.

“People are rejoicing that that bad law is overturned but there's still work to do,” Lorentzen said of Roe v. Wade. “They're still having abortions.”

That work includes continuing to support anti-abortion legislation and “voting for good pro-life judges.”

Olszewski touched on SB 154, introduced by Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, which clarifies that the right of privacy does not include the right to abortion. He said one of the important legislative bills is one introduced by Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, which revises laws regarding court injunctions.

“It actually tightens the reins on the judicial branch because right now, Montana is very relaxed on what a judge can say, ‘Oh, we're going to enjoin that law and so it can't go into effect,” Olszewski said.

“We need to fight the fight harder. We need to encourage our legislators to get back in the game, and regardless of what the [state] Supreme Court says, we need to fight,” he said. “So No. 1, let's encourage those legislators and say thank you for standing and keep the message going despite the fact that the Supreme Court believes that they are above all of the branches.”

"We need to tell people in our church, in our family, our friends, this battle is not over. In fact, it is now begun in Montana,” he added.