The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hear Montana’s appeal seeking to revive a 2013 law that would require a doctor to obtain notarized written consent from a parent or legal guardian before performing an abortion on a minor. The denial leaves in place a 2024 Montana Supreme Court ruling that struck down the statute as a violation of the state constitution’s privacy protections, which voters reinforced by adopting an abortion-rights amendment in November 2024. Montana’s Parental Consent for Abortion Act has never taken effect. Passed by the Republican-led legislature in 2013, it was blocked shortly afterward when Planned Parenthood sued. The law allows a minor to petition a youth court for a waiver, but the state’s high court ruled that a minor’s right to control reproductive decisions is fundamental and cannot be curtailed absent a compelling state interest. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas issued a separate statement saying the case presented a “poor vehicle” for review and warning that the Court’s refusal should not be read as rejecting Montana’s argument that parents have a federal constitutional right to direct their children’s medical care. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen expressed disappointment and signaled the state will continue to pursue the issue, while Planned Parenthood of Montana welcomed the outcome. More than two dozen U.S. states have parental-consent requirements, some of which remain bogged down in litigation, underscoring the legal uncertainty that persists three years after the Court’s Dobbs decision.