Montana’s top attorney has blocked a proposed ballot initiative that would enshrine protections for abortion access in the state Constitution.
Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office has deemed the proposal “legally insufficient,” Montana Free Press first reported. The office’s analysis said it contains contradictory language and exceeds the limits of what one ballot initiative can do.
Citizen ballot initiatives cannot advance without Knudsen’s OK.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana is behind the proposal that would prohibit the state from limiting access to pre-viability abortions. The organization plans to challenge Knudsen’s decision in court.
Two of Knudsen’s prior blocks on unrelated ballot initiatives were challenged in court. The Montana Supreme Court overturned one and upheld the other.
If successful in court, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana and other supporters would be allowed to start gathering signatures for the proposal. They need to secure endorsements from 10% of all qualified voters from across the state for the proposal to appear on the 2024 ballot.
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Six Republican state lawmakers Thursday voted in disapproval of a proposed constitutional amendment to protect access to abortion. -
A campaign for a constitutional abortion rights amendment in Montana may soon begin collecting signatures to put the measure before voters this fall. But that process has been pushed back by Republican officials challenging the initiative’s content and by legal rulings. -
A constitutional amendment to protect abortion moves closer to getting on the ballot. The Republican fight with the judiciary keeps escalating. And the winner of the Republican eastern district congressional primary may boil down to who loves the Trump the most. -
The Montana Supreme Court has cleared the way for proponents of a abortion rights ballot initiative to begin collecting signatures.
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Abortion-rights advocates are asking the Montana Supreme Court to force the secretary of state to allow signature-collecting to begin on a ballot initiative.
