Current:Home > MyMontana becomes 8th state with ballot measure seeking to protect abortion rights-LoTradeCoin
Montana becomes 8th state with ballot measure seeking to protect abortion rights
View Date:2024-12-25 22:13:29
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Voters will get to decide in November whether they want to protect the right to an abortion in the constitution of Montana, which on Tuesday became the eighth state to put the issue before the electorate this fall.
The Montana Secretary of State’s Office certified that the general election ballot will include the initiative on abortion rights. All but one of the eight states are seeking to amend their constitutions.
Montana’s measure seeks to enshrine a 1999 Montana Supreme Court ruling that said the constitutional right to privacy protects the right to a pre-viability abortion by a provider of the patient’s choice.
Republican lawmakers in the state passed a law in 2023 saying the right to privacy does not protect the right to an abortion. It has yet to be challenged in court.
Opponents of the initiative made several efforts to try to keep it off the ballot, and supporters took several of the issues to court.
Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen initially determined that the proposed ballot measure was legally insufficient. After the Montana Supreme Court overruled him, Knudsen rewrote the ballot language to say the proposed amendment would “allow post-viability abortions up to birth,” eliminate “the State’s compelling interest in preserving prenatal life” and potentially “increase the number of taxpayer-funded abortions.”
The high court ended up writing its own initiative language for the petitions used to gather signatures, and signature-gatherers reported that some people tried to intimidate voters into not signing.
The Secretary of State’s Office also changed the rules to say the signatures of inactive voters would not count, reversing nearly 30 years of precedent. The office made computer changes to reject inactive voters’ signatures after they had already been collected and after counties began verifying some of them.
Supporters again had to go to court and received an order, and additional time, for counties to verify the signatures of inactive voters. Inactive voters are people who filled out a universal change-of-address form but did not update their address on their voter registration. If counties sent two pieces of mail to that address without a response, voters are put on an inactive list.
Supporters ended up with more than 81,000 signatures, about 10.5% of registered voters. The campaign needed just over 60,000 signatures and to qualify 40 or more of the 100 state House districts by gathering the signatures of at least 10% of the number of people who voted for governor in 2020 in that district. The initiative qualified in 59 districts.
Republican lawmakers have made several attempts to challenge the state Supreme Court’s 1999 ruling, including asking the state Supreme Court to overturn it. The Republican controlled Legislature also passed several bills in 2021 and 2023 to restrict abortion access, including the one saying the constitutional right to privacy does not protect abortion rights.
Courts have blocked several of the laws, such as an abortion ban past 20 weeks of gestation, a ban on prescription of medication abortions via telehealth services, a 24-hour waiting period for medication abortions and an ultrasound requirement — all citing the Montana Supreme Court’s 1999 ruling.
Last week the state Supreme Court ruled that minors in Montana don’t need parental permission to receive an abortion, overturning a 2013 law.
In 2022, Montana voters rejected a referendum that would have established criminal charges for health care providers who do not take “all medically appropriate and reasonable actions to preserve the life” of an infant born alive, including after an attempted abortion. Health care professionals and other opponents argued that it could have robbed parents of precious time with infants born with incurable medical issues if doctors are forced to attempt treatment.
The legality of abortion was turned back to the states when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Seven states have already put abortion questions before voters since then — California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio and Vermont — and in each case abortion supporters won.
veryGood! (61885)
Related
- The Office's Kate Flannery Defends John Krasinski's Sexiest Man Alive Win
- Teachers in Portland, Oregon, march and temporarily block bridge in third week of strike
- Israel recalls ambassador ahead of South African parliamentary vote to shut down Israeli embassy
- Poland set to get more than 5 billion euros in EU money after commission approves recovery plan
- US Election Darkens the Door of COP29 as It Opens in Azerbaijan
- 'Napoleon' has big battles and a complicated marriage
- Home sales slumped to slowest pace in more than 13 years in October as prices, borrowing costs, soar
- Hailey Bieber Recreates Gigi Hadid's Famous Pasta Recipe During Date Night With Justin Bieber
- Rachael Ray Details Getting Bashed Over Decision to Not Have Kids
- Listeria outbreak linked to recalled peaches, plums and nectarines leaves 1 dead, 10 sick
Ranking
- AI could help scale humanitarian responses. But it could also have big downsides
- 4 injured after Walmart shooting in Beavercreek, Ohio, police say; suspected shooter dead
- Chicago prepares for Macy's parade performance, summer tour with EWF: 'We're relentless'
- 'Leo' is an animated lizard with an SNL sensibility — and the voice of Adam Sandler
- Don't Miss This Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Dads at the Kansas City Chiefs Game
- How to pack Thanksgiving food for your flight – and make sure it gets through TSA
- 4 out of 5 Mexicans who got a flu shot this year turned down Cuban and Russian COVID-19 vaccines
- 'Unbelievable': Navy plane with 9 on board overshoots runway in Hawaii, lands in water
Recommendation
-
Solawave Black Friday Sale: Don't Miss Buy 1, Get 1 Free on Age-Defying Red Light Devices
-
NFL’s look changing as more women move into prominent roles at teams across league
-
Shooting at Ohio Walmart leaves 4 wounded and gunman dead, police say
-
Presidential debates commission announces dates and locations for 2024
-
Just Eat Takeaway sells Grubhub for $650 million, just 3 years after buying the app for $7.3 billion
-
Police identify 2 children struck and killed as they walked to elementary school in Maryland
-
Brawling fans in stands delay start of Argentina-Brazil World Cup qualifying match for 27 minutes
-
Experts provide tips on how to avoid getting sick from your food