Montana another state looking to enshrine abortion rights in constitution

Activists seeking to gain enough signatures for Constitutional Initiative No. 128

Montana is yet another state that will consider whether to enshrine abortion rights in its state constitution when a ballot initiative comes up for a vote in November. 

Constitutional Initiative No. 128, known as CI-128, would prohibit the government from regulating abortion before fetal viability.  It would also prohibit the government from denying or burdening access to an abortion when a doctor determines it’s necessary to preserve the pregnant patient’s life or health.  

Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights is the abortion rights campaign coalition in Montana fighting to pass the initiative. This ballot committee was formed by the ACLU of Montana, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana, Forward Montana, and the Fairness Project. Numerous other Montana organizations are partnering with MSRR to collect the signatures necessary to qualify. 

According to the Guttmacher Institute, Abortion is banned in Montana at fetal viability, generally 24–26 weeks of pregnancy. Parental notice is required for a minor's abortion. State Medicaid funds cover abortion. Qualified healthcare professionals, not solely physicians, can provide abortions. And the state offers protections from harassment and physical harm for anyone entering an abortion clinic. 

Montana law allows for initiated constitutional amendments, a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends the state constitution. The signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment equal 10 percent of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Montana also has a distribution requirement that requires proponents to collect signatures equal to 10 percent of the qualified electors in each of two-fifths (40) of the state's 100 legislative districts. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.

To volunteer or figure out how to submit your signature, visit https://mtreprorights.org/