{"id":309532,"date":"2024-03-31T15:49:11","date_gmt":"2024-03-31T20:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=309532"},"modified":"2024-04-07T15:02:12","modified_gmt":"2024-04-07T20:02:12","slug":"montana-pro-abortion-group-ballot-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/montana-pro-abortion-group-ballot-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana group sues over AG’s ballot language that tells voters what an abortion ‘right’ means"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights (MSRR), a group that includes Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana (the political arm of Planned Parenthood Montana), the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, and Forward Montana, has filed a lawsuit<\/a> over the language in a pro-abortion ballot.<\/p>\n

The pro-abortion group is attempting to get Ballot Issue #14 onto November’s ballot, which would create a state constitutional right to abortion and which the office of Attorney General Austin Knudsen attempted<\/a> to stop. Knudsen said the proposed ballot statement was “legally insufficient.” However, earlier this month the Montana Supreme Court cleared the way for the proposal to move forward, saying the AG’s office was incorrect in its assessment.<\/p>\n

Regardless, the proposal’s ballot statement still had to be finalized by Knudsen before going through a legislative committee meeting that would allow supporters to begin collecting the more than 60,000 signatures needed by June 21.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Knudsen sent Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen a new proposed ballot<\/a> statement that altered MSRR’s original ballot statement. The pro-abortion groups called Knudsen’s wording “confusing, argumentative, and prejudicial.” MSRR is now suing to stop it, asking that the state Supreme Court send the original ballot statement to Jacobsen and overrule the one submitted by Knudsen.<\/p>\n

The pro-abortion groups’ original statement read:<\/p>\n

CI-___ affirms the right to make and carry out decisions about one\u2019s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion, in the Montana Constitution. This constitutional amendment prohibits the government from denying or burdening the right to abortion before fetal viability. Additionally, the amendment ensures that the government cannot deny or burden access to an abortion when it is necessary to protect the pregnant patient\u2019s life or health. CI-___ prevents the government from punishing patients, healthcare providers, or anyone who assists someone in seeking reproductive care, including abortion care.<\/em><\/p>\n

Knudsen argued that this proposed ballot statement does not comply with MCA, \u00a7\u00a7 13-27-212<\/a>, which ensures such a “statement of purpose and implication expresses the true and impartial explanation of the proposal in plain, easily understood language. The statement of purpose and implication may not be argumentative or written so as to create prejudice for or against the issue.”<\/p>\n

Knudsen appears to believe that the statement \u2014 written by groups with a financial stake in expanding abortion in Montana \u2014 fails to state its true intent, which is to ensure abortion is legal and accessible throughout all 40 weeks of pregnancy.<\/p>\n