The Montana Supreme Court has rephrased a proposed ballot initiative after its supporters and the state Attorney General clashed over the language. The initiative about abortion access can now advance.
The state’s Supreme Court justices rewrote the proposal after ruling Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s version deficient. However, the court said he made valid points about vague language in the original proposal, which would enshrine abortion access in the Montana Constitution.
Knudsen had originally blocked the proposed initiative from Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights, but was overruled by the state Supreme Court. He was then allowed to provide his own version of the proposal, which supporters challenged as inaccurate.
The court will deliver the final language to the Montana Secretary of State, saying the proposal is ready for signature gathering.
Supporters have until June 21 to collect 60,000 signatures from across the state to earn the proposal a spot on the 2024 ballot.
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Montana abortion providers will not be subject to new, stringent regulations adopted by the state health department. A judge blocked the rules while a lawsuit plays out. Two Montana clinics sued the state, saying they’ve been singled out for stricter regulation as abortion providers. -
A Lewis and Clark District Court judge says he’ll likely decide in the coming days whether to block regulations on abortion providers passed by the last state Legislature. -
Montanans have voted to enshrine abortion access in the state’s Constitution. -
The two main candidates for governor spar over property taxes, housing costs, and abortion. And the two candidates for the western district congressional race tussle over the same issues in recent debates.
