NBC Montana

Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen on Tuesday certified that Constitutional Initiative 128, the proposal to create a specific protection for abortion rights in the Montana Constitution, has received the required number of signatures and can appear on the November ballot.

The announcement, two days before an Aug. 22 deadline to certify ballot issues, launches the multi-month fight over whether to solidify abortion access in Montana into a new phase. Similar campaigns in other states, including Arizona and Missouri, have also recently received certification to bring the issue to voters this fall.

While abortion is currently legal in Montana under the state Constitution’s right of privacy, backers of the proposal say it will further safeguard access in a national legal landscape roiled by the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.

READ THE FULL STORY