Left-wing activists in Montana have officially launched their signature collection effort to enshrine abortion into the state constitution.
“On Tuesday, Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights announced that it has officially launched its signature drive to get the required 60,000 signatures from Montanans by June 21 to qualify the measure on the ballot,” The Hill reported.
The constitutional initiative, called CI-128, would “expressly provide a right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion. It would prohibit the government from denying or burdening the right to abortion before fetal viability.”
The proposed amendment would also allow for abortions throughout pregnancy, per the judgment of a doctor to protect a woman’s life or health, and would prevent the government from penalizing anyone involved in the voluntary decision to have an abortion. The language states:
CI-128 would amend the Montana Constitution to expressly provide a right to make and carry
out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion. It would prohibit the
government from denying or burdening the right to abortion before fetal viability. It would also
prohibit the government from denying or burdening access to an abortion when a treating
healthcare professional determines it is medically indicated to protect the pregnant patient’s life
or health. CI-128 prevents the government from penalizing patients, healthcare providers, or
anyone who assists someone in exercising their right to make and carry out voluntary decisions
about their pregnancy.
The coalition behind the ballot measure is comprised of pro-abortion groups including Planned Parenthood of Montana, ACLU of Montana, Forward Montana, and Fairness Project. The effort comes after Montanans voted against an amendment in 2022 that would have mandated that infants who are born alive, including those who survive botched abortions, are legal persons entitled to life-saving medical care.
Abortion is currently legal up to fetal viability in Montana, which is the stage of pregnancy when a baby has developed enough that it is able to survive outside the womb with medical intervention, typically around 22 to 24 weeks.
Montana is one of at least a dozen states where pro-abortion activists are working to codify the right to kill the unborn.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
