Abortion rights group proposes constitutional amendment to protect access
Gov. Greg Gianforte speaks at a bill signing ceremony on the steps of the State Capitol on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, in Helena, Mont. Montana's Republican-controlled Legislature passed several bills related to abortion access, and Republican Gov. Gianforte signed five of them Wednesday, including one that will likely lead the state Supreme Court to reconsider its nearly 25-year-old decision that supports the right to a pre-viability abortion by a provider of the patient's choice. (Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP)
Reproductive rights advocates on Wednesday submitted a proposed constitutional amendment to the Montana secretary of state that, if allowed on the 2024 ballot and approved by voters, would explicitly protect pre-viability abortion in Montana’s foundational legal document.
The move is the latest development in a multi-year battle between political factions in Montana over whether abortion should remain legal and accessible. In announcing the filing, initiative sponsor Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana said the proposal is partly motivated by Republican state lawmakers’ repeated attempts to restrict abortion access during the last two legislative sessions.
Those laws, approved by Gov. Greg Gianforte, have been stalled in various state courts on the basis of a 1999 ruling that protects abortion access under the Montana Constitution’s right to privacy. Chris Coburn, a spokesperson for the Montana Planned Parenthood’s political advocacy group, said a constitutional amendment would cement those protections.
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