{"id":2328461,"date":"2024-08-21T14:14:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T18:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/push-for-taxpayer-funded-abortion-until-birth-makes-mt-ballot\/"},"modified":"2024-08-21T14:19:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T18:19:00","slug":"push-for-taxpayer-funded-abortion-until-birth-makes-mt-ballot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/push-for-taxpayer-funded-abortion-until-birth-makes-mt-ballot\/","title":{"rendered":"Push For Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Until Birth Makes MT Ballot"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpush-for-taxpayer-funded-abortion-until-birth-makes-mt-ballot%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2328461&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In \u2062Montana, Republican Secretary of State \u200bChristi Jacobsen \u200bcertified a ballot \u2063measure that will \u2064be voted on November 5, aiming to amend the state constitution to explicitly \u2063secure the right to make decisions regarding pregnancy, including the right to an abortion. Currently, Montana restricts abortions after &#8220;fetal viability,&#8221; \u200ddefined as starting at 24 weeks of\u2062 gestation. If approved, the\u200c measure would prevent \u2062the legislature from enacting laws that restrict abortion \u2064access prior to this cutoff and would shield abortion providers \u200bfrom legal\u2063 accountability for possible misconduct related\u2062 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lizzos-vision-of-progress-includes-disposing-of-the-most-vulnerable\/\" title=\"Lizzo\u2019s Vision Of \u2018Progress\u2019 Includes Disposing Of The Most Vulnerable\">late-term procedures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative, labeled CI-128, asserts that\u2063 it prohibits penalties \u200bfor patients, \u2063healthcare providers, and others involved\u200c in \u200cassisting individuals in exercising their reproductive rights. Critics argue that \u200bthe vague \u2064language in the \u200bamendment could\u2062 allow for an interpretation that permits\u200d abortions\u2062 at any stage of pregnancy if deemed \u2062&#8221;medically necessary&#8221; by \u2063a\u2063 healthcare professional. \u200dThis addition to Montana&#8217;s already permissive abortion laws raises concerns about potential taxpayer\u200c funding for all-trimester\u200c abortions under Medicaid.<\/p>\n<p>The proposal was mainly introduced by abortion\u200d rights advocates in response to conservative legislation passed \u2063by the Republican-controlled state government, including\u2064 laws aimed at \u200drestricting\u2064 taxpayer-funded \u200cabortions and providing protections for\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/north-carolina-senate-sends-bill-banning-abortions-based-on-down-syndrome-sex-race-to-governors-desk\/\" title=\"North Carolina Senate Sends Bill Banning Abortions Based On Down Syndrome, Sex, Race, To Governor\u2019s Desk\">infants born alive<\/a> after \u2063failed\u200b abortions. The measure faced initial challenges from the state&#8217;s attorney\u2064 general, who argued it violated the state&#8217;s constitutional rules by \u200dcombining multiple political issues into one initiative. However, it was \u200dultimately approved \u2063for the ballot, \u2062positioning it\u200d as a \u200bsignificant legislative\u2062 issue for the upcoming election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Montana&rsquo;s Republican Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen certified <a href=\"https:\/\/leg.mt.gov\/content\/Committees\/Interim\/2023-2024\/Senate-Select-Committee-on-Judicial-Oversight-Reform\/Meetings\/24061213-June-2024\/1-CI-128-Ballot-Language.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a ballot measure<\/a> on Tuesday night that will ask voters on Nov. 5 to amend their state constitution to &ldquo;expressly provide a right to make and carry out decisions about one&rsquo;s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Montana law currently prohibits abortion beyond &ldquo;fetal viability,&rdquo; which <a href=\"https:\/\/leg.mt.gov\/bills\/mca\/title_0500\/chapter_0200\/part_0010\/section_0040\/0500-0200-0010-0040.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the state<\/a> defines as beginning at 24 weeks gestation. The ballot measure if passed, however, would effectively ban the GOP legislature from passing any laws that limit abortion before that cutoff. It would also keep the government from holding abortionists accountable for misconduct like ending life in the womb late in pregnancy.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; the amendment states.<\/p>\n<p>The proposal doesn&rsquo;t simply ostracize the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/16\/poll-majority-of-americans-still-reject-democrats-unlimited-abortion-agenda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">55 percent of Americans<\/a> who think ending life in the womb beyond the start of the second trimester, around 14 weeks gestation, should be &ldquo;generally illegal.&rdquo; It also uses vague language to deliberately prohibit the state from interfering with abortions at any point in pregnancy as long as a &ldquo;healthcare professional determines it is medically indicated to protect the pregnant patient&rsquo;s life or health.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This sweeping modification to the state&rsquo;s already radical permissions means practically any abortion could be construed to meet <a href=\"https:\/\/leg.mt.gov\/bills\/mca\/title_0530\/chapter_0060\/part_0010\/section_0970\/0530-0060-0010-0970.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the &ldquo;medically necessary&rdquo; qualifier<\/a> required for taxpayer funding under Montana&rsquo;s Medicaid program.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Montana allows abortion until a baby reaches viability and that apparently isn&rsquo;t enough for the abortion industry and their political allies. Through this amendment, they are attempting to enshrine all-trimester abortion in the constitution for babies who could survive outside of the womb and force the taxpayers to fund it,&rdquo; State Public Affairs Director Kelsey Pritchard&nbsp;said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/sbaprolife.org\/newsroom\/press-releases\/montanas-all-trimester-abortion-amendment-makes-ballot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Abortion activists debuted the measure in November 2023 in an effort to punish Montana&rsquo;s Republican-controlled legislature and GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte for passing <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mt.gov\/Governors-Office\/Governor_Gianforte_Defends_Life\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">several pro-life laws<\/a>, including limitations on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-signs-memorandum-backpedaling-on-president-trumps-abortion-policies\/\" title=\"Joe Biden signs memorandum backpedaling on President Trump\u2019s abortion policies\">taxpayer-funded abortion<\/a> and protections for babies born alive after botched abortions.<\/p>\n<p>To make the November 2024 ballot, the measure had to pass muster with Montana&rsquo;s Legislative Services Division, as well as the state&rsquo;s GOP attorney general and secretary of state. Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen attempted to invalidate the measure under Article XIV, Section 11 of the Montana constitution because&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2024\/01\/17\/montana-attorney-general-blocks-constitutional-abortion-proposal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">he said<\/a>&nbsp;it &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/every-state-facing-deceptive-unlimited-abortion-ballot-measures-this-november\/\" title=\"Deceptive, Unlimited Abortion Ballot Measures in Every State this November\">logrolls multiple distinct political choices<\/a> into a single initiative.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The state Supreme Court, which <a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2024\/08\/14\/montana-supreme-court-strikes-down-abortion-law-requiring-parental-consent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decided this week<\/a> to strike down a law requiring underage girls seeking abortions to obtain parental consent, overruled his findings, <a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2024\/04\/01\/montana-supreme-court-rewrites-abortion-ballot-language-signature-gathering-moves-closer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rewrote the language<\/a>, and declared the measure did not qualify for an approval vote from a legislative committee as state statute required. <\/p>\n<p>Montana&rsquo;s GOP Senate President Jason Ellsworth claimed the court&rsquo;s decision effectively &ldquo;cuts the Legislature out of the process of reviewing this proposed initiative&rdquo; but was ultimately <a href=\"https:\/\/dailymontanan.com\/2024\/04\/02\/ellsworth-subpoenas-abortion-initiative-from-secretary-of-state-after-court-says-it-can-skip-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unsuccessful at securing legislative review.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Official approval of the Montana amendment no doubt advances Democrats&rsquo; national abortion agenda by putting the party&rsquo;s extremism on the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/15\/extreme-and-deceptive-abortion-until-birth-amendments-make-the-ballot-in-arizona-missouri\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ballot in at least eight states<\/a>. It will also, as <a href=\"https:\/\/axios.com\/2024\/08\/21\/abortion-montana-ballot-measure-november-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Axios<\/a> noted, &ldquo;boost the re-election bid of embattled&nbsp;Sen. Jon Tester.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Montana&#8217;s Republican Secretary of State, Christi Jacobsen, approved a ballot measure on Tuesday evening that will be presented to voters on November 5. This measure seeks to amend the state constitution to &#8220;explicitly guarantee the right to make and implement decisions regarding one&#8217;s own pregnancy, including the right to have an abortion.&#8221; Currently, Montana law restricts abortions after &#8220;fetal viability,&#8221; defined by the state as starting at 24 weeks of gestation. If this ballot measure is passed, it would prevent the Republican-controlled legislature from enacting any laws that limit abortion prior to this point. Additionally, it would protect abortion providers from being held accountable for actions such as terminating pregnancies late in gestation.<\/p>\n<p>The amendment states that &#8220;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.&#8221; The proposal not only alienates the 55% of Americans who believe that abortions should generally be illegal after around 14 weeks but also employs ambiguous language designed to prevent state interference with abortions at any stage if a healthcare professional deems it medically necessary for protecting the life or health of the pregnant individual.<\/p>\n<p>This broad change could allow nearly any abortion procedure to qualify as &#8220;medically necessary,&#8221; making it eligible for taxpayer funding under Montana&#8217;s Medicaid program. Kelsey Pritchard, State Public Affairs Director, criticized this move by stating that while Montana allows abortions until viability is reached, proponents are attempting through this amendment to constitutionally guarantee access to all-trimester abortions and compel taxpayers to fund them.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative was introduced by abortion rights advocates in November 2023 as a response against Montana\u2019s Republican-led legislature and Governor Greg Gianforte for enacting several pro-life measures aimed at restricting taxpayer-funded abortions and providing protections for infants born alive following failed procedures.<\/p>\n<p>To qualify for inclusion on the November 2024 ballot, this measure needed approval from both Montana\u2019s Legislative Services Division and its GOP attorney general and secretary of state. Attorney General Austin Knudsen sought to invalidate it based on Article XIV, Section 11 of Montana&#8217;s constitution due to concerns about combining multiple political issues into one initiative. However, following a recent ruling where the state Supreme Court overturned a law requiring parental consent for minors seeking abortions\u2014rewriting parts of this proposed amendment\u2014the court determined it did not require legislative committee approval as previously mandated by state law.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Senate President Jason Ellsworth expressed concern that this court decision effectively excluded lawmakers from reviewing such initiatives but ultimately failed in his attempts at securing legislative oversight. The official endorsement of this amendment undoubtedly supports Democrats&#8217; national agenda regarding abortion rights while placing their more extreme positions before voters in at least eight states; additionally noted is its potential benefit towards Senator Jon Tester&#8217;s re-election campaign amidst challenges he faces<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":2328462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Screenshot-2024-08-21-at-9.35.04%E2%80%AFAM-e1724251027264.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4310,8605,38824],"class_list":["post-2328461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-abortion","tag-montana","tag-taxpayer-funding"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Screenshot-2024-08-21-at-9.35.04%E2%80%AFAM-e1724251027264.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2328461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2328462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2328461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2328461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2328461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}