Aubrecht became pregnant three times, and she aborted all three pregnancies. “I spent a long time trying to figure out what grave sins I had committed to warrant such punishment from a God, who was clearly meting out his judgment on me,” she said.

Years later when Aubrecht was driving during a work trip, she saw a handwritten sign with a Bible verse on the side of the road, and she realized that she’d been looking at her own suffering when Jesus “endured pain voluntarily, for me.”

“I have a profound appreciation for the intrinsic worth and dignity of every human life, as image bearers of God — that includes not only the unborn, but also human beings regardless of whether or not they know God,” she said. “I pray and want this for every woman and man who finds themselves with an unplanned pregnancy.”

Aubrecht was one of several speakers at Saturday’s 14th annual March for Life at the Gallatin County Courthouse in downtown Bozeman. This year’s event took place a little more than six months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

For 50 years, the landmark case had guaranteed a person’s right to an abortion. Now that right is up to the states, and many have outlawed the medical procedure under most circumstances. Montana’s constitution protects the right to an abortion, but some Republican state lawmakers want to undo the court precedent that decided that.

Sharon Nason, chair of Pro-Life Helena, said that this year would have seen the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, but thankfully, it was overturned last year. Because of that, some have asked Nason why it’s still important to march for life in Montana, she said.

“While we celebrated the overturning of Roe, that Supreme Court decision put Montana in a very difficult position,” she said. “In 1999, our state Supreme Court ruled in a case that’s been called State vs. Armstrong that the individual right of privacy in our state constitution extended to abortion.”

Because of that decision, abortion in Montana can be performed up to the age of viability, unless the mother’s health is at risk. Without a more specific definition, the mother “could potentially have an abortion all the way up to the moment of birth,” according to Nason.

“To change that would require overturning the ‘Armstrong’ decision, similar to how ‘Roe’ was overturned, or amending our state constitution — neither of which are going to be easy tasks to undertake,” she said.

Earlier this week, Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, introduced Senate Bill 154 to the Legislature. If it passes, the bill would declare that the right to an abortion is not protected under the Montana constitution’s privacy clause.

Nason urged members of the crowd to speak out in favor of the measure, adding that trigger laws that outlawed abortion in surrounding states turned Montana into “a destination state for abortions.”

John Durnal, speaking on behalf of Montana’s Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, said that in the past year, with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, there’s been tremendous progress for opponents of abortion, but the work is far from over.

“We must now use our voices to advocate for pro-life legislation at the state level, where I am proud to see Gov. Gianforte and countless legislators fight for policies that protect every human life, as well as at the federal level, where I will work with my colleagues to protect the unborn in the U.S. Senate,” he said.

A spokesperson for Montana’s Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale told the crowd that because of decades of work the movement had a major victory last year, and “it’s well past time that we allow states like Montana to protect life.”

“While the Dobbs v. Jackson decision represents a turning point in our fight to end the scourge of abortion, this is by no means the end of our fight,” he said. “This will require significant fortitude and it will require you to renew your spirit of activism and hold your leaders accountable.”