Health Care

Mont., Ariz. abortion measures clear final hurdles

Nine states will vote on abortion rights measures this year, a record high.
FILE – Thousands of protesters march around the Arizona Capitol after the Supreme Court decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision Friday, June 24, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Voters in Montana and Arizona will decide whether to add the right to obtain abortions in their state constitutions after proposed ballot measures cleared key hurdles on Tuesday.

In Montana, Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen’s (R) office said Tuesday a proposal to amend the state constitution had submitted more than enough signatures to qualify for November’s ballot. Supporters turned in 117,000 signatures in June, nearly twice the 60,300 required under state law.

The proposed amendment, CI-128, would add language guaranteeing “a right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to an abortion.” It would bar the government from penalizing or prosecuting someone over pregnancy outcomes.

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